Friday the Thirteenth
by AngelMoon Girl
Summary: First season. Usagi and Mamoru unknowingly agree to babysit the same child, but the night holds more than they bargained for when matchmaking Senshi, practical jokes, strip poker, and a dangerous serial killer become involved.
1. An Unlikely Partnership

Disclaimer: I scoff in the face of those who believe me worthy of Sailor Moon ownership!

Summary: First season. Fate seems determined to throw Usagi and Mamoru together when both unknowingly agree to babysit the same child. Add four nosy, boisterous, well-meaning girls intent on playing matchmaker and a serial killer on the loose, and you've got a Friday the 13th no one will ever forget!

A/N: Well... it's Friday the 13th! So... what better day to begin my story "Friday the Thirteenth", eh? Reviews are greatly appreciated and motivate lazy authors like me to update sooner. A note about where this fic falls in the timeline: imagine a gap between episode 33 (Venus' arrival) and 34 (Starlight Tower and the revelation of Usagi as Princess)... that's where this tale falls. It's rather AU in the fact that Rei never dated Mamoru; she crushed on him at first but has come to agree with the other Senshi that Usagi and Mamoru would make the perfect couple if they just. stopped. fighting. ;P So... that's about all you need to know. Onward, I say! ^^

P.S. Little Kotono is indeed named after Kotono Mitsuishi, voice actor for the original Sailor Moon. This is my little way of paying homage to an amazing actress :-)

**Friday the Thirteenth**

Rated T

Chapter 1: "An Unlikely Partnership"

* * *

"You want _me _to babysit Koto-chan?" fourteen year old Tsukino Usagi squealed, mouth gaping in disbelief. The straw she'd been utilizing to scarf down her strawberry milkshake clattered noisily down into the nearly empty glass. A few Fruit Parlor Crown patrons glanced over interestedly, but quickly returned to their meals when realizing who was the source of the outburst. The teen with blonde odango was nothing if not infamous for her excitable and altogether loud attitude toward life, and such exclamations had become rather commonplace about the cafe. All regulars knew that if it wasn't her, it was always one of the four girls who generally accompanied Usagi. Today, however, a new female was seated across from the effervescent flaxen. The auburn headed woman- somewhere in her late twenties- giggled.

"I wouldn't ask unless I had complete faith in your abilities, Usagi-san."

"But, but... you'd pick _me_? Out of all the other more, well, _responsible _people out there?" Usagi spluttered. She flushed, then awkwardly bowed over her beverage. "Fumara-san, I'm... I'm _honored_!"

"It's the least I can do, considering how sweet you were to help Santo-kun and I move in last month... and without pay, nonetheless!" Fumara said. She held up a hand when Usagi started to object. "Now, now, Usagi-san... I know how teenagers can be! A little extra pocket change can certainly come in handy at the arcade." She winked, and Usagi couldn't refute that observation.

"Like I said, I really appreciate the sentiment, but... this will be my first time babysitting! Wouldn't you want someone with more experience?"

Here it was Fumara's turn to blush. "Um, actually, I did hire someone else. They sort of... backed out at the last minute for personal reasons, and I was pretty desperate to get someone to watch Kotono for tomorrow night. Her father's away on business, and I got called in fairly unexpectedly to do the night shift over at the hospital."

"Ah, so that's why," Usagi teased. "I'm not exactly most people's first choice when it comes to babysitting. I have a... erm... kinda ditzy reputation."

"So I've heard," Fumara chuckled. "But unlike those who spread such rumors, I've actually met you. I can look past that klutzy exterior and what I see is a warm, caring, and altogether altruistic individual. You will have no problem whatsoever in handling Kotono."

Usagi smiled, gazing fervently into her lap in a mixture of embarrassment and pride. "Thank you, Fumara-san."

"But, I talked to your mother before coming here. She did tell me it would be your first time, so I already made some arrangements for you to have a partner, just in case. Another pair of hands, if you will. I'm not sure if you've ever met, but he's a very sweet guy. I've known him for quite a few years at the hospital; he's a volunteer there."

"How old is he?" Usagi inquired, inwardly doing a jig. _Wonder if he's my age? Ooh,_ _I bet he's hot!_ _Just_ _you wait; Usa-chan will woo you over! _She struggled to keep a lovesick grin off her features. Her and a man? Alone? At night? Wait until the Senshi heard about *this*!

"Eighteen, but don't you worry- he's the most gentle and chivalric being I've ever encountered... you should *see* him with the sick children! Never fails to bring a smile to their little faces..."

Wow... in college and sweet to boot? Usagi wondered where to score a man like that... ooh, if only Tuxedo Mask chanced upon her civilian form and fell in love for _real_! The teen was so lost in daydreams that she almost missed the catch.

Ah, there's always a catch.

"His name's Chiba Mamoru."

And suddenly, the dream world came crashing down, devolving into infinitesimally small pieces. Usagi choked, in the middle of slurping down the last of her milkshake. Fumara eyed her with concern, and Usagi seriously considered running for it. However, loathed as she was to admit it, bolting was cowardly... especially given that she'd already agreed and Fumara seemed to trust her. Damn, damn, damn! Not _him_!

Irony had a funny sense of humor. Truly hilarious.

"Do you know him?"

"M-me?" Usagi stuttered, trying to school the expression of horror she assumed had to be marring her face. Luckily, Fumara didn't seem that worried, so... outwardly, Usagi had to be calmer than she currently felt. _Know _Chiba Mamoru? The bane of her existence? The jerk who made her mornings and sometimes even afternoons a living hell? *No*, of _course _she didn't know Chiba Mamoru! "... no..."

Fumara beamed. "Good. You'll quite enjoy his company! Very intelligent boy. You two will do fantastically together!"

_If we don't end up murdering the other in the process. _Usagi dearly wished she could throw her head into her arms and wail about the unfairness of the situation. With a great deal of self-restraint, the blonde instead continued, "So... is there anything Mamoru-san (_Mamoru-BAKA_, her mind supplied fiendishly) and I will need to know?"

Fumara, still smiling, shook her head. "Not right now, other than the fact that you'll be babysitting until sometime around one in the morning. I'll show the pair of you around the house and talk about emergency phone numbers tomorrow."

"And Koto-chan?"

"Oh, she's a very easygoing toddler. You'll have no real issues with her, other than maybe bedtime... but again, I want to discuss that with the both of you."

"Okay," Usagi nodded, still reeling from the fact that 'both of you' meant *her* and *Mamoru*. _I'll be surprised if there's any house_ left _for Fumara-san to come home to...._

Fumara stood, fixing her skirt and touching up her bun. "I'm incredibly grateful for your babysitting Kotono, Usagi-san. Believe me, what you and Mamoru-san are doing is beyond helpful. I really need the over-time."

_Hmm, nice guilt-kick. Right in the gut. _Usagi suddenly felt very bad for ever wanting to decline Fumara's offer. After shaking the chestnut-haired mother's hand and watching Fumara's departure, Usagi remained staring into the dregs of her drink. She gulped, contemplating the predicament she'd just landed herself in.

_We can do this... right?_

Was it a worrisome thing that her brain sounded so un-reassuring?

Usagi went back to brooding, and decided that instead of gloating, she would tell the Senshi to plan her funeral. As soon as possible.

* * *

A/N: *Giggle* This story is going to be really fun, albeit action-packed and at times very angsty! I'm sure it will not disappoint!

REVIEW!

**AngelMoon Girl**


	2. Minako's Rules to Matchmaking

Disclaimer: Toss me in the loony bin! I won't admit it! I *_tase_* OKAY, OKAY! I do not own Sailor Moon! Yeesh...

A/N: Thunderous round of applause and three pieces of virtual cake to all my reviewers ^^... that's **snoopykid, serenity wayne, Serandi82, mangamania, torquoisepeanutbutter, SerentiyMoonGodness, Elen-Di,** and **CharmedSerenity3.**

Hee hee. "Minako's Rules to Matchmaking" is brought to you by the letter 'E'! Gotta love Sesame Street ;-D

**Friday the Thirteenth**

Rated T

Chapter 2: "Minako's Rules to Matchmaking"

* * *

"Ami-chan, what's oxi- oxi... oxidative, uh... phos... phosphory...?" Aino Minako, scratching her head with a pencil and stumbling over pronunciation, queried. She frowned at the worksheet laid out before her, glaring demonically at the questions as if they'd committed some terrible evil against her. From across the square table situated in the center of Hino Rei's bedroom, aforementioned Mizuno Ami chuckled at the newest member of the Sailor Senshi.

"You mean 'oxidative phosphorylation'?" the aqua-headed highbrow corrected, scooting over to the normally effervescent blonde. "Well... to put it simply... oxidative phosphorylation is a metabolic pathway that uses energy released by the oxidation of nutrients to produce adenosine triphosphate-"

"_This_ is _simple_?" Minako grumbled under her breath, to the snickering of Kino Makoto on her left. "I'm almost afraid I asked..."

Rei groaned as she walked into her tightly-packed room, teasing, "Now you've done it, Minako-chan! Yeesh, a whole week with us, and you _still _haven't figured out that it'd be easier to milk a monkey than get layman terms from our Ami-chan? Tsk, tsk." She set a steaming tray of freshly-baked green tea cookies down next to Makoto. "Help yourself, guys, before the gormandizer gets here."

"Ha ha, very funny, oh Wise One of the Fire," Ami retorted sarcastically to Rei's gibe, but there was a hint of humor lurking behind her disgruntled features. "Maybe if you actually _studied_-"

"Studying's no fun!" Tsukino Usagi whined, ambling past the open panel and then considering turning tail at the topic of conversation. "Besides, I'm living proof that one can slack off and still pass!"

"And how do you suppose you're going to ace the entrance exams with an attitude like that?" Ami inquired sternly to the teen who plopped herself down next to Minako.

"Easy! Same way I approach a math test the night before- a little cramming, then a big breakfast, then a stop at the arcade to sharpen my logic skills..." Usagi tacked down on her fingers. "Oh! And a super large milkshake to stimulate my memory-"

"What's floating around in your brain; moon rocks?" the priestess sneered, shaking her raven head in exasperation. "I'm surprised you've managed to survive this long! Usagi, one of these days-"

"OOH! Green tea cookies!" Usagi squealed, effectively silencing Rei's rant. She practically lunged across the table to grab a handful. "Yummy!"

Rei sweatdropped, sighing, "I give up."

"Well, if Usagi-chan *does* fail her entrance exams, at least she'll have a partner to go down with her," Minako pouted, still eying her homework balefully. She wondered if her teacher would fall a second time for the classic 'My close relative is in the hospital' excuse. There were only so many times she could feign an uncle before someone got suspicious and called home.

"Hey, you guys won't _believe _what I have to do tomorrow!" Usagi suddenly cried past her bulging cheeks of food. Ami made a face but didn't comment. Rei, on the other hand, couldn't resist.

"Get your stomach pumped and arteries unclogged, perchance?"

"Hilarious, Rei-chan," Usagi scowled after an enormous swallow, staunching the urge to wage a tongue war. "But no. It's something _even more_ dangerous."

"Even more dangerous!?" a chorus of voices exclaimed. Usagi nodded vigorously, seeking out some more consolation cookies and popping them into her mouth.

Rei narrowed her obsidian eyes skeptically. "You aren't talking about another dentist appointment again, are you?"

"No. It's *worse*," the Odango Atama supplied, shivering. Silence reigned for a full minute as everyone waited on the edge of their cushion.

"Well, spill, already!" Makoto shouted, and Usagi started.

"Oh. Sorry. I was thinking about Tuxedo Kamen," she giggled, wiping drool off her chin. The Senshi smacked themselves in the face, moaning at their lot in life. It was a surprise the Dark Kingdom hadn't claimed earth for their own yet, what with such a scatter-brained leader...

Where _was_ that darned Princess when you needed her?

"After school, I was chatting with Himo Fumara... you know, that nice lady we all helped move in last month; my mom's old friend?"

"Can't say I remember that," Minako joked, having only just met the Senshi a week ago. Makoto shushed her with a wagging hand, nodding at Usagi in confirmation.

"Well," the blonde continued, "she asked me to babysit her daughter Kotono tomorrow night."

"So what's the big deal? I see nothing dangerous about babysitting," Ami interrogated, cocking a brow.

"Chiba Mamoru is helping me."

Stunned quiescence followed this statement, then every Senshi- even Minako, who'd heard enough stories about the man to recognize him on a dark street- burst out in hysterical laughter.

"You? And 'The Jerk'? _Babysitting_? Oh, man, _this _I gotta see!" Minako howled, rolling on the floor and clutching her stomach in mirth. She wasn't the only one.

"You'll kill each other!" Makoto chortled. "Little pieces; that's all we'll find!"

Usagi crinkled up her countenance. "It's nice to observe some friendly support when you need it."

"Right. Sorry. Um, Usagi-chan... you have our full backing that... er... oh damn, I can't stop laughing!" Makoto snickered, retreating behind her fingers. Upon appraisal, it looked to Usagi like the others were also failing miserably at pulling poker faces. She sniffed irritably.

"Y-you don't even care that I-I'm going t-t-to die tomorrow!" the Moon Warrior choked, fat tears welling in her cerulean eyes. She got up and stomped from the shrine. Rei stared in disbelief as their friend disappeared.

"Was she... _serious_?"

"It... seemed like it. You can never tell with Usagi," Ami sighed. "Maybe we should go after her-"

"She's just being a crybaby, like usual!" Rei interrupted. "Let her get over this unnecessary sensitivity by herself! What did she want; us to agree with her or something?"

"I dunno... to me, it kinda looked like she wanted our concern," Minako opined. "Usagi-chan's really worried about this babysitting business. Maybe Ami-chan and Mako-chan can tell her we're sorry at school tomorrow."

Rei made a little noise of exasperation, but didn't rebut the idea. "Usagi has to grow up," she muttered, tone mercifully lacking in malice. Makoto shared a quiet smile with Ami, both having known Rei the longest. For all her griping about the "ditzy Odango Atama", the priestess held a soft spot for Usagi, and only wanted to see her mature into her full potential. It was the dream of all the Senshi, but the testy Fire Maiden was most intent on aiding its fruition. The wordless communication was snipped short by a sudden gasp from Minako.

"I just got... the _perfect_... plan!"

"Dear God, she's gone off her rocker," Makoto quipped. "Ami-chan, I blame you."

"Hey, listen, listen..."

"Hmpf! Just wait until _you _need help with your next math problem!" Ami responded, currently ignoring the latest outburst from Minako (which would, undoubtedly, end with one or more of them in the hospital sporting any number of injuries).

"Hellooooo..."

"Ami-chan, you're a goddess who deserves to be worshipped daily with all manner of baked goods," the brawny brunette amended, and Ami beamed.

"Now that's more like it," she guffawed.

"MATCHMAKER MINAKO HAS SOMETHING TO SAY!" aforementioned blonde hollered, waving her arm back and forth like some traffic regulator.

"Matchmaker?" Rei mumbled, rolling her eyes. "Oh boy..."

"Why do I suddenly feel apprehensive?" Ami sighed.

"Well, let's get this over with... otherwise Minako-chan's going to have a coronary," Makoto observed, stifling a smirk.

"Haven't we all discussed the little matter of Usagi-chan and Mamoru-san?" Minako prompted, settling herself down as if for a long-winded speech. Rei hacked something that sounded like 'ad nauseam'. "And haven't we all, after due consideration, felt that their hate was but a sunscreen-"

"Smokescreen," Ami interjected wearily. "I think you mean to say 'smokescreen'."

"... a _smokescreen _for pent-up sexual energy?" Minako finished.

"_Sexual_ energy? _Usagi_?" Rei snickered. "No, I'm pretty sure we _did not _agree that Usagi and Mamoru-san's fights were disguising 'sexual' energy. In fact, I'm almost _positive _what Ami originally said was 'undeniable attraction', Minako-chan."

"Attraction, sex... it's all the same thing," Minako waved airily, to the stares of her friends.

"What street corners have _you _been skulking lately?" Makoto hectored, nudging Minako's shoulder.

"Oh, shut up... anyways, I say-" here Minako's voice dropped to a stage whisper, and everyone gathered close- "we... SET THEM UP! EH? EHHHH!? Good idea, right!?"

"Oh God, my ears are bleeding," Rei moaned as Minako elbowed her repeatedly.

"Huh? Huh? Huh? What'dya say? Wanna play matchmaker tomorrow night? Stop by to visit our dear leader for a few... oh, say a few _hours_? C'mon, it'll be fun! Especially if this *works*!" she squealed, barely able to contain her excitement in normal human capacity.

"Okay... hypothetically, we agree to this asinine, far-fetched plan. How do you propose, Minako-chan, to 'matchmake' two people who currently are as incompatible as oil and water?" Ami mused. "That's no easy feat."

"It's all about the letter 'E', my friends," Minako intoned deeply, trying to don a mysterious air... and only ending up sounding creepy. At first, no one spoke, then-

"Minako-chan, I don't mean to pry, but _what_ the _hell_ are you _on_?" Makoto queried seriously, ready to check the teen's pupils for dilation. Minako pouted.

"No, really! The rules to matchmaking are all about the four 'E's: Espionage! Exploitation! Execution! And finally, Exposure!" she exclaimed, punctuating each rule with an unnecessarily loud smack to the tabletop. It was truly laudable the amount of noise one person could single-handedly make.

"You know, against my better judgement, I'm actually impressed," Rei praised lightly. "Did you come up with that all by yourself, or did a thesaurus do all the dirty work?"

Minako blushed. "Thesaurus."

"Thought so."

"But the rest of my plan is original! Gather round, gather round, young grasshoppers of lurrrve..."

"... only if you stop trying to channel a sketchy medium."

"Yeah, that's supposed to be *my* realm."

"And Rei-chan's already got the sketchy part down."

"_Mako-chan_!"

"Deal. Though... I have to agree with Mako-chan."

"_Minako-chan_!"

* * *

A/N: Haha. Please review, young grasshoppers! The more who do, the more likely I am to update quicker!

**AngelMoon Girl**


	3. Not Quite Armageddon

Disclaimer: Own Sailor Moon, I do not. May the force be with you.

A/N: *AngelMoon Girl engages herself in flouncing dance* Oh me, oh my! ^^ What lovely reviews! I'm so happy! Keep them coming. Thank you to **Miss Lee Ann, CharmedSerenity3, Ashgeliton, Serandi82, Light'by'day, Jerikagoddess, mangamania, Elen-Di, serenity wayne,** and **kiwigreeneyes.**

**Friday the Thirteenth**

Rated T

Chapter 3: "Not Quite Armageddon"

* * *

Usagi slunk in the door just before dinner, dragging her heels and pouting all the way.

_They could have at least_ tried _to be sympathetic to my situation! I needed_ advice_, not to be laughed at!_ she brooded. _Some friends I have..._

The blonde deposited her book-bag and shoes haphazardly on the floor, then eased her feet into comfy pink slippers. Tsukino Ikuko peeked her head around the kitchen doorway, steaming bowl of yakisoba in hand. "Oh, Usagi dear, how did it go?"

Usagi started, yanked from reverie by the query. "Eh, what?"

Ikuko sighed, perseverating, "How did it go? Did you accept Fumara-chan's offer? Honestly, Usagi, sometimes you're floating in a cloud."

"Oh. Yeah. Me and... um... one of her coworkers are watching Koto-chan tomorrow night."

"That's good. I'm very glad you didn't let Fumara-chan down... Dinner will be on the table in a few."

The prospect of food seemed to cheer the sullen fourteen-year-old up instantly. She relaxed, letting a brilliant grin overtake her countenance. All thoughts of Mamoru-baka and childcare worries fled Usagi's mind, and she bounced blithely into the living room to greet Papa and Shingo.

oOo

The mood, unfortunately, didn't persist into the morrow. Usagi woke up feeling worse than ever, and seriously considered feigning illness. Forget butterflies- this was utter and painful _dread _gnawing holes into her stomach. For perhaps the first time in her life, she didn't feel hungry. The blonde groaned, throwing the blanket back over her disheveled form. She squeezed her eyes shut and prayed for an apocalypse.

"Usagi-chaaaan," a sing-song voice purred, and aforementioned Odango Atama felt paws pressing threateningly into her side. Maybe not the Armageddon per say, but... close enough. Usagi knew all too well that if she didn't respond in approximately five seconds, sharp claws would protract and pierce her delicate skin. And that was *never* a fun way to approach one's doom.

"I'm up, I'm up," the Senshi leader mumbled, disentangling herself from sanctuary. Blearily, she sat up and glared at Luna disdainfully. "Watch where you decide to stick those things. If you're not careful, you could end up seriously damaging a vital organ."

Luna smirked rather smugly. "Then I suppose you should make a habit of this, and I won't have to. But I confess myself surprised; only seven o'clock and and you're actually cogent."

Usagi grimaced. "It's going to be an eventful day. I have a lot on my mind."

"So I've heard," Luna chirped, leaping nimbly from the crescent moon-adorned coverlet onto the floor. She began tugging out her charge's school uniform, as was their daily ritual. But of course, today seemed hardly normal. Most mornings saw Usagi dozing until five minutes before eight, then rushing half-asleep out the door to the nags of first Luna, then her mother.

Usagi rolled her cerulean eyes heavenward in exasperation. "That Minako-chan's such a gossiper. I take it Artemis told you?"

"How on earth did you guess," Luna teased, sarcasm lacing her gibe. "Now hurry up, before you waste this little miracle of mine and arrive late."

Usagi made a face at the black cat, shirking off her flannel shirt and pants. "Keep an attitude like that, and maybe I'll be tardy just to spite you."

"Don't test your luck, Usagi-chan."

"Yes, m'am."

Impalement by feline claws really did hurt.

oOo

By some combination of dumb luck, unfortunate coincidence, and perhaps an overly large sprinkling of irony, Usagi met a roadblock in the name of Chiba Mamoru. He seemed taken aback at her presence as she reeled, dazed, after the impact.

"Odango... Fifteen minutes to eight? Is this some new record?"

Usagi knew she was tempting fate, and the wrath of Luna, but she couldn't help herself. When this guy insulted her, the world went red. So who cared if she was late? There was dignity to uphold here!

"Oooh, you jerk!" the teen fumed, hands unconsciously planting themselves on her hips. She'd give him a piece of her mind! "What are you, some pedophile? How the hell do _you_ know when my school starts? Do you *wait* for me on this corner, or something?"

"I have better things to do than stalk a street corner, awaiting your oh-so-joyful presence," the ebony-headed college student sneered. Yet, despite his derision, Usagi could have sworn she caught a glimpse of some... foreign emotion... lurking in those beaut- ah, _ordinary_ blue eyes. Ordinary. _Ordinary_. Can't forget that. "Besides, Odango... I may be in college, but back in the day I used to attend Juuban Junior High too."

Usagi thoroughly debated what comeback to use, but came up with nothing suitable. When words fail, work the infamous Tsukino glare!

"Scary, Odango."

"Hmpf! I have nothing more to say to you, baka! You're going to make me late!" And on that final note, Usagi stomped off.

Oh yes, they were *definitely* going to kill each other tonight.

_But... why didn't he mention our babysitting together? _Usagi wondered, chancing a sidelong glance at the bane of her existence, still haunting that darn corner. She blushed when realizing he was staring at her retreating back, and hastened her pace to put some distance between them. _Creep..._

Then she gasped, stopping right in the middle of the sidewalk as revelation dawned. "He... he doesn't know, does he?"

Usagi swirled on her foot and really did look backward this time. Even yards away, his midnight depths connected with her softer hue. She scowled as he cocked a brow and started laughing, probably betting on her sanity. _Early to school, then having a staring contest with her sworn nemesis from across the street?_ Oh, something was *definitely* wrong with her today.

And, terrifying as it was, the reason lay smack dab in her field of vision, still chuckling up a storm as he turned tail and strutted off to who-knew-where.

oOo

"Oh damn," Usagi cursed, listening as the school bell tolled eight... with she still a few inches to go before reaching the front door. _I knew I shouldn't have stopped to chat with Mamoru-baka... I knew it, I knew it, I knew! The guy is going to drive me into an early grave!_

Well... maybe more like out of school. But it wasn't as though that would be much different. Ikuko would skin her daughter alive, bare-handed, if Usagi did end up flunking out. And that wasn't even taking into consideration what Luna might resort to. Forget claws- cat teeth (_fangs_, Usagi's morbid brain supplied) could slice through any Senshi-born pain threshold!

With no desire whatsoever to go sprinting down hallways (_what's the point?_), Usagi meandered lazily about the school until she reached Ms. Haruna's classroom, moping on the possible consequences of her tardiness.

_Best not delay the inevitable..._

With a gigantic breath, Usagi flung open the door and exclaimed her usual, "Haruna-sensei, I'm so sorry, my cat forgot to wake me up!"

The class erupted in howls of laughter... all except for two. Ami eyed her scatter-brained friend with a mixture of remorse and humor, wearing an expression that clearly stated 'Usagi-you-need-to-gain-more-responsibility'. Makoto just grinned, winking sympathetically. Obviously, she knew an inkling of the horrors one had to endure with a cat that liked to nag. Usagi winked back, then sidled inconspiciously into her seat. Ms. Haruna decided to ignore her delinquent student; after all, a few minutes after the bell was an almost laudable feat in the case of Tsukino Usagi. Without any more ado, the auburn-haired teacher delved into her lesson and Usagi into her rejuvenating nap she blamed Mamoru-baka for needing. If it wasn't for him, she'd have been early. If it wasn't for him, she'd have gotten more sleep this morning. If it wasn't for him... hell, the world would be a better place!

And, if it wasn't for him, Usagi wouldn't be sporting the goofy smile currently stretching the circumference of her face.

Stupid Mamoru-baka.

* * *

A/N: Wow, I'm so impressed! I'm just pumping these chapters out! Blame it on Mamoru ^^

Actually, blame it on a desire to procrastinate. Hmm. I think I should probably start my homework now, though. I've reached the 'Crap-this-is-due-in-two-hours' point. So... yeah. Make my day with a nice review, eh?

**AngelMoon Girl**


	4. Ironic Introductions

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon ain't mine no matta' how many so'thern accents I don.

A/N: I'm indebted to all you wonderful readers out there ^^ Such kind support! Thank you to **CharmedSerenity3, sailor ice cosmos, SerentiyMoonGodness, Ashgeliton, Elen-Di, alisa, madorno81, Miss DnG,** and **mangamania.**

**Friday the Thirteenth**

Rated T

Chapter 4: "Ironic Introductions"

* * *

Lunch hour arrived unmercifully quick for Usagi. Though... she couldn't quite complain, seeing as she'd slept the first two hours until Haruna thought it prudent to whap her with a ruler for disruptive snoring. After that, the next sixty minutes flew by, which was a rarity in itself. Dread did funny things to the clock; Usagi swore an evil force was twisting the hands into submission just to spite her. *Why* was it that, on the day she actually _wanted _to be in school, time raced by in leaps and bounds? The blonde grumbled an expletive as the afternoon bell signalling break resounded, sweeping up her lunch bag and stalking out the door with a murderous visage. It goes without saying that half of Juuban Junior High's population steered clear of the raving Odango as she stormed outside and over to her, Ami, and Makoto's favorite haunt. With voracious intent, Usagi shovelled food into her mouth as the other two Senshi approached (and a little warily at that).

"Hi, Usagi-chan," Ami greeted warmly. "Is something the mat-" Makoto elbowed the pedantic painfully- "uh, I mean, not that you look upset or... or anything, it's just-"

"Ami-chan, if this is about yesterday, I'm really sorry. I'm not quite sure what got into me last night," Usagi smiled past her ornery mood, cutting off Ami's rant before the girl could choke on her own ramblings. "This isn't about you guys; don't worry, I'm not mad."

Makoto let out an enormous breath, plopping down next to Usagi. "Whew! _That's _a relief! Ami-chan and I spent the whole morning wondering if you were still having hard feelings about our attitudes at Rei-chan's... which we all feel _really_ bad about, by the way..."

Ami nodded vigorously, adding, "It was very unkind of us. We should have supported you instead of ridiculed you."

Usagi sniffled tearfully. "Aww, you guys...!" She threw her arms around Ami and Makoto. "That's so sweet of you! I'm just worried about babysitting with Mamoru-baka, that's all... oh, I'm so lucky! I- MAKO-CHAN, THAT LOOKS SOOOO YUMMY! MAY I HAVE SOME, PLEASE, PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE?"

The brunette sweatdropped. Oh, Usagi was definitely back to normal, gluttonous mood swings and everything. "Knock yourself out."

Half the allotted lunch break passed by in comfortable quiescence, with Naru and Umino joining their group to gossip midway into Usagi's second helping of Makoto's bento. Naru discussed the new boy in their class, sending Makoto swooning and Usagi hellbent on meeting this Adonis. Ami just blushed, watching on politely and explaining that looks weren't everything to her. Then Umino switched gears with some Haruna rumors, creeping out the girls with his excess of knowledge about why she'd been skulking the principal's office so frequently. Hoping to save themselves mental scarring, Makoto launched into darker topics, effectively freaking out Usagi with eerie stories of the serial killer dubbed Enigma. The teen told Usagi about how the mystery killer moonlighted Tokyo, searching out beautiful women to rape and slaughter. Umino mentioned that the first death had been a sixteen year old babysitter, which sent Usagi into hysterics and Makoto yelling at him for the umbrage. Naru gleaned the truth out of her friend, scolded Umino, then dragged him off to reprimand a bit more. After perhaps five more minutes of this session, the beautiful day lured the love birds over to a tree for some privacy, Naru mollified (the flower tucked into her hand probably having had something to do with her appeasement). Usagi grinned, serial killers and butchered babysitters forgotten as she spied her old companions exchanging shrimp. Secretly, the odangoed one delighted at this latest development. They really were a cute couple! She was surprised it had taken this long for the pair to realize their feelings for each other.

"So Usagi-chan... let's talk babysitting," Makoto spoke up firmly, a strange glint to her green eyes as she snapped Usagi from reverie. "How do you propose you act in Mamoru-san's presence to avoid premature death? The Senshi and I haven't nearly enough money for a coffin, you know."

"Oh," Usagi, clearly startled at the new topic of conversation, mumbled through her bulging cheeks. "Er... I sorta was thinking... ignore him?"

"Usagi-chan," Ami chastised patiently, "you are babysitting a young child. You can't just 'ignore' the person who's helping you. Childcare doesn't work like that. There has to be proper communication, or you're posing a danger to Koto-chan."

"Danger?"

"You've seen your parents interact together, right? They also inform each other on you and your brother's whereabouts. If that exchange is lost, and they start assuming-"

"I know, I know. You assume, and you 'make an ass out of you and me'," Usagi quoted in a grumble. "I get it. Mamoru-san might think Koto-chan's with me, and vice versa... but really, she could be wandering the road or climbing the balcony or something."

Makoto started snickering to herself quietly. "You do realize what strangers on the street will think when they see you three, right?"

"That... we're... good babysitters?" Usagi responded uneasily, feeling nonplussed as Ami started smiling too.

"Koto-chan has brown hair, right?"

"Yeah..."

"And Mamoru-san has black?"

"I don't follow," Usagi pouted, crossing her arms stubbornly and refusing to answer. Makoto couldn't *possibly* be alluding-

"Oh come on, Usagi-chan! It's perfect!" the brunette guffawed. "Even you have to see it! Black hair plus blonde hair equals brown... and all three of you have blue eyes... all the right genes are staring me in the face!"

"Koto-chan is NOT mine and Mamoru-baka's child!" the fourteen year old Odango wailed, garnering a few strange looks from classmates at the pronouncement. She began spluttering, "Never- in my life- would I... I _do anything_ with that JERK!"

"Calm down, Usagi-chan," Ami implored, waving her hand and shying away from the sudden interest of their peers. "Keep it quiet; I think half the school heard you..."

"They better have!" Usagi fumed, still imagining the horror of ever bearing Satan himself's spawn. With Mamoru's mutated genes, any kid of his would probably end up with pink hair and red eyes, or some other unnatural coloring... "I can't believe you'd even _suggest_-"

"I'm merely pointing out the obvious!" Makoto defended, throwing up her hands in surrender. "Cool your jets, or I'll be forced to sic Rei-chan on you!"

The threat proved successful. Usagi settled down with a disparaging grimace, wallowing in silence at the cruelty of her situation.

_Me and Mamoru-baka having a daughter, ha! Like *that* will happen in the next thousand years... If so, just plop a crown on my head and call me Queen of Tokyo! _she steamed.

The end-of-lunch bell reverberated sluggishly, stirring up the magically-endowed trio. Ami and Makoto exchanged sympathetic glances with Usagi, noticing how pale she'd become in impending anxiety.

Five more hours...

oOo

Usagi pouted, kicking gravel petulantly as she walked. A large white house loomed ahead, glowing in the golden sunset and ensconced by a dark forest that scared the heebie-jeebies out of Usagi. A long, paved driveway undulated toward her, mailbox proclaiming the surname of the opulent residence's owner: "Himo". Usagi took a deep breath and stopped in front of the aforementioned drive, gnawing anxiously on her lower lip. She glanced down at her watch, gritting her teeth as the big hand ticked forebodingly onto twelve. Six o'clock; right on time. A red Ferrari Usagi immediately recognized as Mamoru's was already parked in front of the garage. The fourteen year old groaned. It was now or never; if she didn't start moving in three seconds, her nerves would give out and she'd end up sprinting in the other direction.

_Why the heck did I agree to this again...?_

With the air of one marching to their own execution, Usagi ambled the distance over to the front door and knocked twice. Through the window, she caught sight of Fumara, Kotono on hip, approaching. And the deer-in-headlights look stuck on her complexion in the reflection. Lightning fast, the teen schooled it. Men like Mamoru-baka fed off fear, and she wanted to at least appear calm, even if her innards were churning like hell.

Fumara opened the door and greeted the young babysitter warmly. "Usagi-san, hello! Right on time... see, I told you you weren't incompetent."

"I try," Usagi responded weakly, donning a wan smile as she crossed the threshold and left her stomach somewhere on the front steps. Vaguely, the girl wondered if Fumara heard the hammering of her heart as clearly as Usagi herself did. Kotono grinned toothily.

"Mama, it Usa-chan! Usa-chan here!"

"I see, sweetheart. Usagi-san and Mamoru-san are going to watch you tonight." Fumara shifted her two and a half year old daughter. "Usagi-san, there's someone I want you to meet. He's in the living room."

_Oh, great. Wonder if the idiot will manage to keep his mouth shut about this... _Usagi thought glumly, following the auburn-headed woman. She took a moment to admire the immensity of her surroundings; Fumara and Santo were quite well off, if their possessions were any indication. Usagi recalled the last time she'd been in this house. She could have sworn it was smaller, but time dulled one's memories. Shaking her head of philosophical ponderings, the trio turned a corner and Usagi came face to face with Mamoru. The college student, currently perched in wait on the couch, let his mouth drop.

"_This_ is _her_?"

"Indeed it is," Fumara beamed, oblivious to the strange stare Mamoru was giving his blushing partner. "Usagi-san tells me you've never been introduced."

"We- uh-" Mamoru paused at the wide-eyed, pleading expression Usagi graced him with from behind Fumara, wildly shaking her head back and forth. "No, we haven't."

"Well, she's a wonderful girl. Very sweet; I'm sure you'll be fast friends."

"Sure," Mamoru grumbled, deciding to ignore the irony of that comment. He stood, awkwardly moving over to his nemesis with an extended hand. "Pleased to meet you. I'm Chiba Mamoru."

Usagi gulped, unsure if she should accept Satan's appendage and incur innumerable diseases (rabies came quickly to mind), or simply slap him for daring to touch her. Best go with option number one. Just as discomfited, Usagi grabbed up the creep's hand and shook it as speedily as was humanly possible.

"Tsukino Usagi. Nice to meet you too."

_If 'nice' means 'I wish I could wipe that stupid, knowing smirk off your face, you pig-headed jerk'._

And then, thankfully, the contact was broken. Phew. Once Fumara left, Usagi promised her hand it would get a full antibacterial treatment. She turned to Fumara, aware of how close Mamoru was to her body and consciously taking a step sideways. At least the butterflies were dying in her stomach, now that the faux introduction ordeal was over and her cover remained intact.

"Please, sit down," Fumara encouraged, inclining her head to the couch as she herself claimed the love-seat. With no choice but to comply, Usagi grumpily settled down next to Mamoru. _So much for personal space! _Knees brushing, Usagi fought to keep a straight face and normal coloring. She cursed the return of insistent fluttering in her midsection, but wondered, _Why now? I'm not nervous anymore... I bet it's just the unfulfilled desire to haul off and slug him... That's it; I'm mad... yeah..._

"Fumara-san, can we walk through the rules? Do's and don'ts, if you will?" Mamoru intoned, broaching conversation.

Fumara nodded. "Alright; I suppose that's a good place to start, though I'm not very picky. I guess I would prefer if you kept television to a minimum, if at all. Santo-kun and I are trying to encourage Kotono to use her imagination as entertainment. You can find some of her toys and games in the blue toy-box by the stairwell. Secondly, Kotono needs constant supervision while she is awake; she tends to end up in places she ought not be when neglected. The cookie jar, for one."

"I used to be the same way," Usagi added, cerulean eyes bright in reminiscence. Mamoru gave her a funny look, then inquired,

"And bedtime?"

"Nine, at the latest." Fumara chuckled. "On the weekends, it's Kotono's little treat to stay up late. We usually go out for ice cream too, but that excursion is up to you."

One glimpse at Usagi, and Mamoru knew there would be no arguing. The Friday night ice cream tradition would continue, be it hell or high water.

"What's for dinner?" aforementioned blonde spoke up, eliciting a throaty snicker from Mamoru. Could the girl ever stop thinking about food? Usagi scowled, elucidating, "I mean for Koto-chan."

"Leftover curry, but she's already eaten. If you decide to forgo dessert, and Kotono complains of hunger, you'll find extra in the fridge. In fact, you two can help yourself to whatever you find in there; Lord knows I've enough fixings for an army."

Usagi got starry eyes and Mamoru made a mental note to create limits, lest Fumara return to empty cupboards. "I guess that leaves... emergency phone numbers?"

"Also on the fridge. Other than that, have fun, and call me if anything happens. My cell is always on," the red-head stated. She smiled warmly at Usagi. "I have faith in your abilities. You will both do fine. Now, one last thing before I go." She stood, ushering Kotono out of her lap and over to the couch. Sitting gently down on the coffee table in front of curious Usagi and Mamoru, Fumara gazed seriously at her daughter. Kotono blinked, cocking her pigtailed head in silent query.

"Kotono, Mama is going to work now. These are your babysitters until I come home. You already know Usagi-san," Fumara said, gesturing to the fourteen year old. "But this is Mamoru-san, one of Mama's friends from the hospital. He helps the sick children."

"How do you do, Koto-chan?" Mamoru, all charm, inquired of the girl brightly as he bent forward to meet her eyes. Kotono couldn't help but be taken in by his demeanor, and Usagi found herself touched by the genuine kindness in her enemy's tone. _If only he showed that side more often, then maybe I wouldn't see him as such a jerk..._

"Hullo, Mamo-chan," Kotono responded breathlessly, blue orbs sparkling as she shyly bowed politely like Mama taught her.

_Mamo-chan? _Usagi thought, surprised. _That's rather... cute... _Then the devil in her smirked. _I think I've found a new nickname..._

"I have to leave now, Kotono," Fumara informed the two and a half year old, placing a hand on Kotono's shoulder.

"When you come home?" the child asked innocently, the merest tremor hiding in her tone.

"While you're asleep. But I want you to treat Usagi-san and Mamoru-san like you would treat me, okay? Listen to what they tell you, and be a good girl. I love you."

"Will," Kotono affirmed, nodding. "Love too."

They shared an embrace, then Kotono followed Fumara, Usagi, and Mamoru to the door. She clung to one of Usagi's legs, sucking a thumb and watching as farewells were exchanged.

"Call me if you need anything," Fumara reminded. "And nine o'clock, please. Kotono tends to be cranky when she gets little sleep. You may have a minor tantrum before bed, but usually some patience and a storybook calm her down. Again, if anything becomes too out of hand, _call me_."

"We won't hesitate to, Fumara-san," Mamoru assured her. He playfully nudged her out the door. "We'll be fine. You're going to be late if you don't hurry, though. Rush-hour traffic alone will delay you fifteen minutes, and those hospital personnel can be a bit strict when it comes to tardiness- believe me, I know."

Usagi started at the rich baritone of his laugh that the pair shared, realizing that this was the first time she'd ever heard it. _Mirth suits him... so does that smile..._

_WAIT, WHAT THE HELL AM I THINKING!? It's the jerk, Usagi, THE JERK! Cruel, has rabies, and satanic tendencies...? Ringing a bell, here??_

Try as she might, Usagi couldn't help but feel some foreign emotion welling in her heart at the sight of Mamoru, sweetly bidding goodbye to Fumara as he patted Kotono comfortingly on the head. Something... maternal. Instinctual. _Warm_.

Then the front door closed and so did Mamoru's happy countenance. For a few seconds, he simply stared stonily at Usagi, and the girl belatedly pondered what had to be going through his mind at being thrust with her for the night.

_The *night*._

Hello, butterflies.

* * *

A/N: *Giggle* What fun! Please review and make my day; feedback motivates me to write more! It's a great inspiration! ^^

**AngelMoon Girl**


	5. Monikers and Murderers

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is like a waking dream- yours for only a second, and then it's gone. Poof.

A/N: Thank you very much for all your support. I would like to extend a hand of gratitude to my reviewers: **madorno81, SerentiyMoonGodness, Serandi82, Elen-Di, CharmedSerenity3, Saiyan Hope, mako-fan, Ashgeliton, mangamania, PriestessHelene, moonlighthalo19,** and **merangelgal.**

**Friday the Thirteenth**

Rated T

Chapter 5: "Monikers and Murderers"

* * *

"Sooo... here we are," Usagi palliated nervously, reaching up to innocently wind a loose strand of hair around her index finger. Innocently, because Mamoru seemed to be glaring daggers at her as if he would like nothing better than to wrap his fingers around her neck and squeeze.

"Yes, here we are," the man repeated sardonically, and not without a subtle hint of sarcasm lacing his tone. "_What_, may I ask, was the point of our earlier introduction? Might I remind you, Odango Atama, that you have been the bane of my existence for a few months now?"

Usagi made a face at her nemesis, reaching down to pick up Kotono. "I'm sorry! I froze up when Fumara-san asked if we knew each other, and then, well... you can see how I dug a grave for myself after that, right? It was an accident!"

Mamoru just grunted in acquiescence, clearly not in the mood to argue. After all, they had most of the night to do so, which was just... lovely. Really. He was so ecstatic he could hardly stand it.

"Hey, Mamo-chan," Usagi said, and aforementioned college student started from unpleasant brooding to an even more unpleasant moniker.

"_What_ did you just call me?"

"Why... Mamo-chan, of course," Usagi smirked, devil waving merrily at Mamoru from her cerulean depths. "It's a very cute nickname. Screams manliness and all that."

Mamoru frowned. "I'd prefer 'baka' any day, thank you very much. We have never been and never will be friends."

"Youch... then Mamo-baka it is!" the blonde chirped, unworried by his promise as she carried Kotono back into the living room. Mamoru followed rather reluctantly.

"Just what do you plan to do now, Odango?"

"Play with Koto-chan, oh ye of little faith," Usagi snapped irately at her pestiferous shadow, traipsing over to the spherical crimson rug and setting the child down on it. "I know it's not exactly befitting of your 'coolness'-"

"I play with children," Mamoru grumbled in reply. "And I'm probably a lot more fun than you are, too!"

"Uh huh..."

"Fine. I'll go get her toy-box and _then_ we'll see who's the better playmate!"

"You're on!"

And so, the war with no point began. Until almost six thirty, Usagi and Mamoru tried to one-up the other with board games and activities alike. Kotono seemed to care less, happy to be at the center of attention as her caregivers lavished all manner of dolls and singing teddy bears into her eager fingers. Mamoru, on the other hand, looked rather weary after fifteen minutes straight of Barbies. Usagi took great delight in this rare picture of Mamoru surrounded by pink doll accessories, dearly wishing she'd brought a camera. Ah, regret.

But when six forty-five rolled around, Kotono began getting cranky. Mamoru chocked it up to boredom, passionately protesting their most recent endeavor to play "fashion show" with the dress-up costumes. Usagi nailed fatigue as the source of Kotono's haggard disposition, but the child herself claimed hunger. Of course, the two-year-old won the argument.

And that was how, ten minutes later, Mamoru found himself the unwilling chauffeur to Perhoff's Ice Cream Parlor, Usagi humming loudly in the passenger seat. He sighed, unable to muster up the right amount of courage to drown her out with the radio. After all, it was Odango's fault they were making this stupid excursion anyway. _He'd _wanted to give Kotono curry leftovers, but noooo- Usagi had jumped at the bait like a starving child herself, pleading until blue in the face for an ice cream trip.

It was obvious who emerged the triumphant.

And yet, Mamoru let the girl hum. Grudgingly, he admitted to himself that she was not half-bad. And it was keeping Kotono quiet, too.

Perhoff's Ice Cream Parlor loomed into propinquity of the Ferrari, and Usagi seemed the most excited of the three as she fidgeted and bounced in her seat. Mamoru grunted a threat, something to do with a rope and gag, but the blonde paid him no mind. _Ice cream, ice cream, ice cream_! Usagi swore to hug Fumara for her wonderful insight upon the woman's return. The frozen treat had cheered the fourteen-year-old right up... who cared if Mamoru was such a stick in the mud? That was his problem.

Mamoru pulled up in front of the brightly-lit building, glimpsing into the backseat and chuckling. "Nice, Odango. I guess it really is possible to send a person to sleep when forced to listen to your voice for seven minutes nonstop."

Usagi scowled, but it was shortlived. A warm smile overtook her features as she watched Kotono snooze blissfully in her booster seat. "Watch it, Mamo-baka. And who was right about her being tired, huh? Huh??"

"Fine. You called it. But now _you _get to stay in the car with her," Mamoru reasoned, making to exit the vehicle. Usagi gaped and nearly lunged to slam the driver's door shut, barely missing the man's pinkie.

"You can't leave me alone out here! It's getting _dark_!" the teen hollered, and Kotono twitched at the decibel-climbing noise. Mamoru threw Usagi a glare, then answered faux-patiently,

"Odango, you will not be alone. Koto-chan is here."

"But it's scary..." Usagi whined, peering out into the gloom beyond the Parlor's outdoor lamps. Mamoru rolled his eyes.

"Come inside if you *really* need me, but otherwise, I don't want a wailing toddler at our heels. Let the child sleep, and lock the doors," were the college student's last words, then he fairly fled into the little shop. Usagi whimpered, wringing her hands anxiously as she imagined shadows morphing into human form in the abyss. Desperately, she clambered into the backseat to sit beside her young, slumbering charge, reaching out to lock the car in one mighty swoop.

There. That precaution made her feel a little safer, at least.

Usagi cracked the window for air, then closed her eyes and prayed for Mamoru's speedy finish. For a long moment, Kotono's heavy breathing was the only sound filling the red Ferrari.

Then, horror of all horrors-

"Hello, miss."

Usagi started violently, stifling a scream at the surprise greeting. She arched to hide Kotono and put some distance between her and the stranger standing beside the tinted window.

"I'm sorry to have frightened you," the man, a brunette with graying hair, apologized. Upon further appraisal, he looked in be in his mid-forties, but Usagi couldn't tell. Shadows obscured most of his countenance, though he appeared clean-shaven and friendly. _He's not homeless_, Usagi surmised. _But..._

"My family and I got lost heading to Osatu Inn and Suites; we've been driving around for hours... you wouldn't happen to know the way, would you?"

"I- I- I can't say I do..." Usagi responded nervously, still shielding Kotono from view and not entirely swayed by this alibi. She tried to disguise the trembling in her hands for an insatiable desire to scratch at an itch, cursing the betraying hot flush on her cheeks. This was the first time she'd ever felt so tense around a stranger, but the girl knew her fear was most likely derived from a combination of the Enigma story she'd heard earlier and the fact that she was in a car at night. Alone. With a mysterious man at the window.

"Oh." The man looked visibly disappointed and started to turn away. His face caught the light for a brief second, and Usagi noticed a strange, jagged white scar on the fellow's left cheek. She sympathized at how painful a wound he must have incurred to receive such a harshly carved mark, having had her fair share of injuries during battle. But then he paused, pivoted, and came back to the window... to the blonde's dismay. She pursed her lips, and he intoned with a voice cracking in misery, "I don't mean to bother you again, but my children... my poor children are hungry; we haven't eaten since I spent the last of our money on gas.... times are- are tough. We came to Tokyo for a fresh start; I got accepted at Osatu Inn and Suites as a bellhop. You wouldn't happen to have any snacks lying around for them to nibble on, would you? At least until we get to Osatu?"

"N-no..."

"Not even a rice cracker for your little daughter? Or perhaps a bag of chips?"

"My...? No, she- she already ate; I'm sorry," Usagi stammered, willing herself not to blink too frequently. She was *such* a terrible liar; it was really quite pitiful... But this man- something about him- just gave her the creeps!

"Any money? Just some change, even?"

"My f-friend took the last of our money to get some ice cream for our- our, um, little girl... and he, well, he'll have spent it all. I'm afraid we can't help; he'll be out any second now."

"All right then. I do apologize for taking up your time; perhaps someone else can be of service," the middle-aged stranger said, bowing and then wandering off into the darkness. Usagi gulped, waiting a few minutes until she was sure he wasn't lurking out of sight before hurriedly unbuckling Kotono. The child started crying vociferously at being jarred awake, howling for her mother, but Usagi shushed the little one gently. She gathered up Kotono and unlocked the car, still shaking from head to toe. With the bravery of a terrified field mouse, the blonde scuttled from the Ferrari's backseat with Kotono and ran pell-mell into Perhoff's. She spotted a flash of ebony hair in the very last aisle, deliberating over two boxes of ice cream. A gigantic, relieved sigh and more sprinting later, Usagi had come up behind her partner. Mamoru turned at the familiar sniffling of Kotono, a much aggrieved expression in place.

"Odango, I thought I said-"

"I _know_ what you _said_, but there's a dodgy man out there!" Usagi defended of herself. Mamoru instantly perked up, and concern flared briefly in his eyes.

"A dodgy man?"

"Yeah, and I certainly wasn't going to leave Koto-chan and I to his serial killer whims-"

"Serial killer?" Mamoru repeated, cocking his brow. The corners of the college student's mouth twitched upward. "Odango, I highly doubt a *serial killer* would be seen haunting the parking lot of an *ice cream parlor*. That just... doesn't happen in real life, alright? Stop being such a scaredy-cat."

"I'm _not _being a scaredy-cat! He... he was asking me creepy questions!" Usagi exclaimed, affronted.

"Okay, try me. What was so creepy about this guy?" Mamoru inquired, folding his arms in wait for this magnificent revelation.

"I... I had a feeling-"

"You had a... 'feeling'?" Mamoru inserted doubtfully. Usagi glared, but the superhero didn't flinch. "...Go on..."

"He couldn't find Osatu Inn-"

"My, that's suspicious."

"And he said his family was in some hard times and asked for a little food-"

"Oh gasp, lock him up now! The man is *definitely* a serial killer!"

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP!? I am *attempting* to clarify myself, here! What I'm implying- and what you can't seem to get through that thick skull of yours- was that it was odd that I didn't see any of his aforementioned 'family' around. And he... I don't know, it just seemed like he wanted to lure me out of the car or something..."

Mamoru was silent for a few seconds, staring at his nemesis pensively. Usagi gnawed her lower lip, shyly watching him gaze at her from beneath her lashes. It was a little disconcerting to see anything but hate directed at her in those midnight depths... for some strange reason, he *almost* appeared proud. Almost.

"I'm not lying."

"I know you aren't. I see what you mean, and it was a smart decision to come into a public area with Koto-chan, but I really think this is a classic case of 'mountains out of molehills'. He's gone, isn't he? I think our biggest crisis right now is which ice cream to pick," Mamoru declared, and Usagi gawked. In the space of three sentences, she'd just encountered a complimentary Mamoru and a reasonable Mamoru. Somebody, quick, check for fever! The fourteen year old smirked wolfishly at the selection he held, more to bring their conversation back to a territory she understood than anything else.

"Milk Chocolate Swirl and... Forbidden Chocolate?" she giggled. "That's rather redundant."

"For your information, I love chocolate," Mamoru growled, still giving each box a keen and searching eye-sweep.

"Yes, but those flavors are so... *plain*! Try Mint Chocolate Chip, or Cherry Garcia! Yeesh, Chiba Mamoru, you are unbearably boring!"

"_I'm not boring_!"

"Of course you are! I bet you're the sort of guy who always buys the *same* flavor, over and over and over again... You know, ice cream is like life! You have to spruce it up once in a while, or you'll find yourself growing dull! Where's the excitement? Where's the variety? The _surprise_?"

Mamoru spluttered, but seemed to have no reply to this accusation. Until- "And who's paying for this ice cream, Odango? Why don't you just go wait over at the counter with Koto-chan; you're of no help to me over here with all your meaningless prattle about life being like ice cream."

Usagi pouted, but sidled away miserably. _Stick in the mud... _Instead of lingering around the cashier, Usagi decided to traverse the other aisles. She set Kotono down and began admiring the frozen delicacies, describing those she'd tasted in detail to the pig-tailed brunette grasping her hand. Kotono vigorously nodded, seemingly in awe with this legendary girl who had consumed so much ice cream over her lifetime. Occasionally she would ask about Mamoru's preferences, but for the most part Kotono was content to listen to Usagi ramble.

When Mamoru went to go pay, a zealously miffed Usagi stalked past him with Kotono and out the door. _Hmph, how dare he act so condescendingly toward me... I'll show that jerk... _

In all her theatrics, however, Usagi forgot one little thing-

It was scary outside alone, at night.

Murderers stalked pretty girls like her.

Feeling suddenly paranoid, but refusing to show Mamoru cowardice by taking solace inside, Usagi led Kotono back over to the Ferrari. She peered this way and that way, but the gloom revealed no figure of a man with a white scar on his cheekbone. It was as if he had never existed; been merely a figment of the babysitter's imagination. Apprehensively, Usagi staggered back over to the passenger side and practically stuffed Kotono in, then jumped to safety herself. With an enormous sigh, she slammed the door shut and began taking relaxing breaths.

"Usa-chan? What wrong?" Kotono queried innocently.

"Nothing, Koto-chan. I just don't like the dark."

"Me nei'der," the two year old admitted, sucking on two of her fingers voraciously.

"But it's okay. Mamo-ba... uh, _Mamo-chan _will be back with the ice cream soon, and then we'll go home," Usagi consoled, all anger she fostered over the jerk's attitude temporarily forgotten.

"Mama home too?"

"After you go to sleep, remember? But we'll have lots of fun until then! Mamo-chan and Usa-chan will be the best babysitters in the _world_!"

"The world?" Kotono repeated with wide eyes. Usagi nodded at the exact instant Mamoru made his reappearance, bag swinging in hand as he whistled cheerily. He slid into the driver's seat as Usagi plopped Kotono onto her booster seat and did up the child's straps.

"Everyone all set?"

"Yep!" Kotono chirped, now hyper as a live wire at the prospect of ice cream. She clapped her hands excitedly as Usagi settled down into the passenger side. The blonde chuckled quietly to herself at this downside to the earlier nap, then asked Mamoru,

"What did you get?"

"Ice cream," the ebony-head drawled sarcastically as they backed out. Usagi clicked her tongue, peeking into the bag interestedly. A soft smile lit up her countenance:

It was Mint Chocolate Chip.

* * *

A/N: Woo! Another lengthy chapter! How was it? I live off reviews; feed me!

**AngelMoon Girl**


	6. Terror Times Four

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon will be mine WHEN HELL FREEZES OVER! And with this weather, IT SEEMS LIKELY! Bwhahaha! So take that, suckers!

A/N: Thank you to **Elen-Di, CharmedSerenity3, mangamania, merangelgal, hit60, SerentiyMoonGodness, madorno81, Miss DnG,** and **PriestessHelene** for some lovely reviews! I enjoy reading each and every one of them!

**Friday the Thirteenth**

Rated T

Chapter 6: "Terror Times Four"

* * *

The ride back to the Hara residence was not unlike the trip to Perhoff's, although this time around, Mamoru gave in to his desire for real music (Usagi half-singing, half-humming what sounded like a spur-of-the-moment tune did NOT count). Maintaining the right amount of concentration driving required was a difficulty for the ebony-haired college student; he couldn't shake the tingling feeling on the back of his neck that usually meant one was being watched... which was silly, really. There was no one in the car but the three of them, and the ice cream parlor was a dim speck in the distance. With no real reason for worry, other than the fact that Usagi seemed determined that she was being stalked by kindly old serial killers, Mamoru put his apprehension to rest. He chuckled at the females' antics: Kotono couldn't stop giggling over the funny looks Usagi was throwing back at her, no doubt attempting to keep the toddler entertained. With the radio blaring and humor keeping all occupied, it seemed almost surprising when, ten minutes later, the trio was parked in front of the large white house.

"Oh, Usa-chan, we home!" Kotono exclaimed, clapping her hands excitedly.

"And you know what that means?" Usagi prompted, smiling from ear-to-ear.

"Ice cream!" Kotono cheered. Mamoru rolled his eyes teasingly.

"Don't encourage her, Odango. Remember, we still have to clean up whatever mess our sugar-high charge creates."

"Ah, let her have her fun," Usagi cajoled, waving her hand nonchalantly as she dismembered herself from the passenger seat. "You just take that ice cream inside before it melts, and I'll get Koto-chan."

"Oh no, I'm not leaving you alone," Mamoru said seriously, coming around to stand beside his blonde partner with just the hint of a smirk. Usagi gaped, blinking, as her nemesis continued, "No, I vividly recall what transpired the _last_ time I left you two outside in the dark. You do believe, after all, that you are going to be murdered tonight?"

"I never said that!" Usagi shouted, unconsciously turning crimson at his insinuation that she could not adequately protect herself. Yeesh, she wasn't a Sailor Soldier for nothing! "I only said he was creepy, not that I was going to die!"

"Did too!"

"Did _not_!"

"I wan' ice cream!" Kotono howled from her booster seat, effectively ending the argument before it got ugly. Usagi scowled at Mamoru, but the man had turned away from her and missed the glare. He was instead scooping out Kotono, muttering what sounded like "she'll be the death of me yet". Sniffing indignantly, Usagi decided to set off for the house to brood some more, and maybe grab a bite to eat from the fridge while she was at it. Dealing with Mamo-baka just made her so _hungry_...

Usagi grappled with the door handle and stepped into the empty house, shivering at the sensation of walking into an abyss. Slightly frightened, she ran her fingers along the wall in search of the light switch. The girl started when her appendages brushed something warm and... alive. It closed a hand around her fist.

"Miss me, darling?"

Usagi sucked in a startled, terrified breath, choking on her oxygen while trying to force out a scream. After the three most heart-poundingly scary seconds of her life, Usagi's infamous vocal cords finally decided to come back to life.

oOo

"That girl is so silly, isn't she, Koto-chan?" Mamoru grumped, unbuckling the two-year-old's straps.

"Usa-chan nice! Nice and silly! Like Mamo-chan!" Kotono chirped, oblivious to the fact that her babysitter was being sarcastic. She reached her arms out to him after being set free from bondage. Mama's car seats were so _uncomfortable_! Mamoru sighed moodily and complied, pulling the child into his arms and slamming the door shut. He would be lucky to live out the night in one sane piece-

Mamoru nearly tripped and fell face-first into the driveway at Usagi's sudden and startled shriek. He gasped, surprise giving way to fear, and fear to something... protective. Oddly, the emotion was not unlike what the man felt when Sailor Moon was in danger, though he did not stop to give that revelation much pondering. Usagi was in trouble, and he had to help her. It was... second nature; no thought was involved. Instinct. He thrived on instinct.

Sprinting as though vying to compete for first in a marathon, Mamoru lunged up the porch steps and into the open door of the house. He fairly took off the light switch in an attempt to see, but the sight that met his eyes was not at all the one he had been expecting.

Usagi was screaming bloody murder, eyes squeezed shut as she beat with clenched fists the living crap out of...

A blonde teen with a red bow?

Surrounded by shocked friends Hino Rei, Mizuno Ami, and that scary brunette named something-Makoto?

"W-what is going on here?" Mamoru asked loudly, adrenaline still rushing through his limbs. The man reached up to rub his ear of the blood pounding within. Kotono simply stared at the familiar people squished in her entryway, mouth agape at their strange antics.

Usagi paused at the sound of Mamoru's uncertain query, taking in the scene with confusion and embarrassment. "Oh. I thought... but how...?"

"We got the spare key," Makoto explained, holding up the aforementioned silver object with a smirk on her face. "Under that garden rock, remember? We were going to surprise you two, but-"

"It appears our plan worked only _too _well," Rei finished wryly, mocking Usagi with a cocked brow sent the Odango's way. "Don't you ever stop and think a situation through? Obviously only an individual knowing the key's whereabouts would have been able to get in. What if it was Fumara-san?"

"Then I'd probably still look like an idiot, wouldn't I?" Usagi muttered, blushing and straightening out her rumpled shirt. Minako cleared her throat and sauntered over to a frozen Mamoru.

"Hello. I'm Aino Minako," she introduced brightly, pointedly offering a hand. "I've heard a lot about you, Chiba Mamoru-san."

"I'm sure," Mamoru responded sardonically, shaking her appendage politely while glaring at Usagi. "Now if you don't mind me asking, _why_ are you here?"

The teen smiled sweetly. "Well, the girls and I thought Usagi-chan must be awful lonely right about now, and decided to drop by for a visit. See if we could help, you know?"

"We don't need help," Mamoru told the blonde stiffly.

"Oh, posh!" Ami interrupted in an uncharacteristic move. "This is Usagi-chan's first time caring for a child, and- no offense- but I'm pretty sure you've never babysat much in your life either."

"Besides, we four brought *adult* entertainment!" Rei intoned, to which Usagi squealed in excitement obliviously and Mamoru coughed awkwardly.

"_Adult_?"

"The connotation is only dirty if you make it so, Mamoru-san."

"Er... right." Somehow, the ebony-head wasn't quite convinced, what with the expression Minako was currently wearing. "That's... that's very, er, kind of you to think of us, but... Odango and I have everything under control. And Koto-chan's going to bed soon anyway."

"Even better!" Makoto smiled, as Rei snickered,

"So eager to be alone with Usagi, are you?"

"_No_!" Mamoru exclaimed, affronted with a suspicious pink hue to his cheeks. "I... no... of course you can stay..."

"Aw, thank you!" Minako grinned, pumping his hand once more and joking, "What a thoughtful man. I like him, Usagi-chan."

"He's all yours," Usagi mumbled, ushering the throng into the kitchen for ice cream as Mamoru turned his back on the group of giggly females to shut the door.

Optimistic people liked to say Friday the 13th was a day of luck. Mamoru usually agreed... but on this particular Friday, he could not help but side with those who viewed the thirteenth with wary superstition. First Odango, now her friends?

Unlucky, indeed!

...Did he mention it was going to be a LONG night?

* * *

A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Review and I'll try to grant your wish for an update soon ;)

**AngelMoon Girl**


	7. Once Upon a Time

Disclaimer: Ack, I have no humor today. Excess homework does that to a person! Sailor Moon isn't mine. Short, sweet, and to the point!

A/N: *Bows to her reviewers* THANK YOU! Your support encourages me to write, even when I shouldn't ;D Like, right now. **JoFlake, CharmedSerenity3, hit60, MissDnG, Elen-Di, PriestessHelene, Miss Lee Ann, merangelgal, madorno81, mangamania, Fidotoffee,** and **Kiri no Kandy**- you guys ROCK! I love you all! ;D

**Friday the Thirteenth**

Rated T

Chapter 7: "Once Upon a Time"

* * *

"You must have some pretty loyal friends, Odango," Mamoru commented lightly as he scooped a copious amount of mint ice cream into a bowl. He wondered if the taste would be rather akin to eating toothpaste. Ew.

The things he did for that girl...

The blonde beside him stiffened, throwing a scathing glare Mamoru's way as she paused in her own dessert ministrations. "Are you going to start complaining about their presence again? I already told them they could stay. Don't make me go out there and take it back! It would be rather rude, you know."

Mamoru frowned irritably at Usagi. "Actually, I was giving you a compliment." Usagi turned away and snorted, but Mamoru ignored her to continue, "Seeing as such civility means little, I'll refrain."

"Go right ahead," the fourteen-year-old mumbled, ignoring the guilt that caught in her gut, and a tense silence descended on the pair. Mamoru finished dishing out ice cream while Usagi stood uselessly by, licking her fingers that she constantly dipped into the frozen treat. Mamoru held back a gag.

"That's hardly sanitary."

"It's not like I have rabies," Usagi scoffed. _Like you_, her mind supplied fiendishly.

"Sometimes I wonder," Mamoru muttered, shaking his head in exasperation. "I take it this abnormally large helping is yours?"

"Why thank you! How thoughtful of you!" Usagi exclaimed, fingers snatching at the aforementioned bowl as the blonde grinned devilishly. Mamoru pursed his lips but didn't reply to her idiosyncratic display of gluttony, instead intoning,

"Let's get these portions to their rightful owners before all the ice cream melts." _Or you scarf it down._

The living room was alive with laughter and loud female chatter, Kotono kept occupied by an exuberant game of what looked like hide-and-seek on a small scale. Usagi plucked up the two-year-old before she could knock over a lamp in all her hyperactive antics. Yep, that nap had _definitely _been a bad idea!

"Aw, don't spoil our fun!" Minako pouted, appearing from behind the couch. Rei and Ami followed suit, albeit they from either end of a bookshelf. "This house is wicked- there are so many places to hide! It's HUGE!"

"Las' time Mina-chan 'n' I ranned into the dinin' room and hided under the table when Ami-chan counted!" Kotono squealed, clearly excited by all the fun and games these new babysitters had brought with them. Mamoru and Usagi's activities of choice were so dull when compared to the animated mischief the four new arrivals brewed up! It didn't help that her original guardians spent half their time arguing, either. Makoto chuckled at the horrified, gaping look Mamoru wore as he balanced multiple bowls of ice cream.

"You're supposed to be winding down and getting ready for bed, not racing around the house like a banshee," Usagi scolded Kotono in a slightly maternal tone. Rei gasped theatrically.

"Usagi? Being _responsible_? I never thought I'd see the day! Someone get me a video camera so I can record this miracle incarnate!"

"Very funny," Usagi drawled sarcastically, putting Kotono in front of the coffee table. "Here, Koto-chan- mint chocolate chip! Enjoy it while it lasts, because after you have to brush your teeth and settle into your nice, cozy bed."

"Aww," Kotono whined, pouting with such a cute, puppy dog-like expression in place that Mamoru wondered if the child was mimicking Usagi's favorite begging tactic. It was almost frightening how perfect the imitation was, exacerbated by the fact that Usagi and Kotono shared a similar eye color. "I'm not sleepy, even a lil' bit!"

"But remember what your Mama said? When you wake up, she'll be home! And you want to see your Mama, right?"

"Yeah," Kotono answered slowly, still not completely swayed. Why would she want to go to bed when these funny, energetic teenagers could play with her all night? This conundrum continued to plague the little girl's mind as she shoveled a cold spoonful of mint ice cream into her mouth.

oOo

Mamoru shifted awkwardly, musing over the discomfort of his kneeling position at the side of Kotono's bed. That, and the fact that he and Usagi now had to make up a bedtime story for Kotono, per the child's request. Together. Oh, and that little matter of Usagi being so close to him, he could smell her flowery perfume and feel the heat emanating off her skin. He wanted to protest; to pointedly move to the other end of the mattress. But... something... held him back.

"A bedtime story? But Koto-chan, I'm... well, rubbish at that," Usagi admitted, grinning ruefully down at the child from her spot on the coverlet. She seemed oblivious to Mamoru's proximity with her long, slender legs, but one glance at the telltale blush marring his features would have clued the blonde in instantly. As it was, her mind was rather preoccupied with the strange exchange that had occurred downstairs proceeding dessert. At the very mention of dish-duty, the girls had jumped at the bait, all too persuasive in making sure Usagi helped Mamoru prepare Kotono for bed. Why, if she wasn't positive they had her best interests at heart, she'd have thought that her Senshi were trying to _matchmake _Mamoru and her! But, obviously, that could not be the case. They all knew perfectly well how infuriating Chiba Mamoru, bane of her life, was. Total impossibility! Completely risible!

"Luckily for Koto-chan, I have some aptitude in that area," Mamoru boasted, puffing out his chest in gloating. Usagi scoffed, crossing her arms just for the sake of being contradictory.

"Who do you tell bedtime stories? Your _stuffed animals_?"

"One, I do not own stuffed animals; two, the person you are referring to is yourself; and three, I happen to be gifted in the art of fairytales because I tell them to the _children at the hospital_," Mamoru returned, with the air of insufferable condescension. "Do think before you speak, Odango."

"Hmph!"

"Is not hard, Usa-chan. Mama always does 'Once upon a time', then makes up stuff!" Kotono explained earnestly. "She says you just needs to gots ima... imager... imagernation!"

"You mean 'imagination'?" Mamoru chuckled. He gazed in askance at Usagi. "Well, I know Odango Atama here _must_ have an imagination, the way she floats off into daydreams in two seconds flat!"

Usagi pursed her lips, but didn't respond to the gibe. Instead, she sniffed, "If you're so good, Mamo-baka, you start the story."

"Alright," the man smirked, then he turned to Kotono. "You like princesses, right, Koto-chan?" Usagi started, surprised that Mamoru was willing to tread such a... well, girly... subject. Oddly enough, images of Luna proclaiming their mission- to find the Moon Princess- sprung quickly to the teen's mind.

Kotono nodded emphatically. "I _love_ princesses!"

"Good, because that's who the star of this story is. You all tucked in nice and snuggly? Okay. Once upon a time, in a land far, far away, there lived a beautiful princess with flowing hair and a long white dress. She lived in a grand palace with her mother, who was the Queen of a large, prosperous, and peaceful kingdom."

"But, this princess was tired of her royal duties. She grew weary of the all the responsibilities being a princess entailed, and one day, the girl decided to sneak off when she _should _have been at a ball held in her honor," Usagi interjected, continuing on with the story when Mamoru paused, thinking. Now listening intently, he was astonished at the sudden turn in exposition, but there was something so... _nostalgic _about this fairytale. Where had he heard it before? At first, the ebony-head had been about to base the princess off the one constantly plaguing his dreams, but for some reason Mamoru enjoyed the new perspective Usagi brought. The way she described this princess, it was almost as if the fourteen year old had met her; understood her. Then again, it wasn't surprising that the scatterbrained blonde empathized with a desire to shirk one's obligations!

It seemed he wasn't the only one enraptured- Kotono watched, wide-eyed, as her babysitters wove an enchanting tale.

"It was very difficult for the princess to get away! She had many guards, and they were close to each other so the princess had to make up a lot of excuses before she could sneak out," Usagi continued. "All her life, the young girl had dreamed of visiting mysterious new places outside of her constricted palace life. Following her heart, the princess decided to run away to a foreign land. But when she got there, she was attacked by thieves!"

"The princess was very frightened, but the thieves were driven away when the land's handsome prince drove them back to protect this beautiful girl," Mamoru suddenly cut in, and Usagi blinked at him. How the hell had Baka known exactly what she was going to add? She shook her head, ignoring the coincidence. "The princess thanked the man for his bravery, but the prince was intrigued. He had never seen a girl like her before, with milky, glowing skin and hair that shined like moonlight. He asked her who she was, but the princess seemed afraid to share her name. Just then, the princess' guards appeared! They found her and scolded the princess, telling her how frightened everyone from her kingdom was at her unexpected absence. They took their princess back home, with the promise that she would never run away like that again. The prince was sad to know that he would never again encounter such a lovely creature, and as a parting gift he gave the princess a rose." He had been so drawn into the story that all else had faded; Mamoru's last impression was of a deep-seated sorrow in his chest and the scent of a wild rose before Usagi's warm hand touched his. The college student jumped.

"Koto-chan's asleep now," Usagi said, very softly. The gentle tenor Mamoru heard so rarely sent shivers racing down his spine. He looked down, gaping at the sight of their charge snoozing, lips puckering as she suckled a thumb. In all her captivation, Kotono had forgotten one important thing- the equally bewitching spell of fatigue; that crafty little devil who snuck up on individuals at all the most inconvenient times. Mamoru smiled.

"Little cutie, isn't she?"

"A handful, but yes, very cute," Usagi concurred, chuckling. She stood and stretched, Mamoru following suit. "What time is it?"

"Er... nine-thirty? We've been up here a while."

"Yeah, the girls are going to think we murdered each other or something," Usagi laughed, walking toward the bedroom door. She looked back when Mamoru did not exit in her wake. He was still beside Kotono, staring down at her thoughtfully.

"Mamoru-san?"

Mamoru jerked to awareness, glancing at Usagi sharply with a countenance full of shock. "What did you just call me?"

"Mamor... uh... Mamo-baka!" Usagi hastened to reply, blushing profusely. _Dammit, what the heck? Why am I being_ nice_!?_

"No, you didn't. You said 'Mamoru-san'," Mamoru gleered. "You know, I just realized that for the first time in... well, ever... we managed to hold a civil conversation."

"Yeah? Well... well... your jacket is ugly and it looks like something a cat threw up after ingesting peas."

"Real mature, Odango," Mamoru rolled his eyes, now coming to stand beside his companion to begin tugging her down the stairs. "Now shut up before you ruin all our efforts and Koto-chan wakes up."

"Too bad... I'm really quite intrigued as to how the princess' story ends," Usagi muttered, trying to suppress a shudder as Mamoru's touch to her upper arms sent electricity pulsing through her veins.

_Me too_... Mamoru thought, but his exasperated answer was vastly different. "The prince found his princess once more, and they lived happily ever after. What else do you want me to tell a two and a half year old?"

_But not everyone has a happily ever after_, Usagi's mind supplied sadly, and the teen inwardly winced. Where had _that_ morbid quip come from?

* * *

A/N: Hee hee gotta love AUTHOR'S OMNISCIENCE! ^^ Hope you all enjoyed this chapter- Usagi and Mamoru are beginning to reconcile their animosity, huh? Huh?? But obviously, like all things, the progression is slow and unwieldy. Truces can't spring from nothing, ya know? We've got lots more unresolved tension ahead, so stick around!

P.S. Oddly enough, I had a bowl of mint ice cream next to me while I wrote. Yum! Though I have to agree with Mamoru... chocolate is SO much better!

Review!

**AngelMoon Girl**


	8. All Fun and Games Until Somebody Dies

Disclaimer: What is a _Sailor Moon_? I've never heard such a silly word before.

A/N: Thank you to **CharmedSerenity3, JoFlake, sakanascales876, merangelgal, StarryNight101, Elen-Di, PriestessHelene, SerentiyMoonGodness, Unknown For Some Reason, mangamania, Fidotoffee,** and **mi-makoto-chan. **Happy Mardi Gras and, if you celebrate the holiday, enjoy the festivities! Don't eat too much and catch some pretty beads for me in the parades ;D Me, I'm having some delicious blueberry-covered and/or cinnamon sugar crepes for dinner. Mm!

**Friday the Thirteenth**

Rated T

Chapter 8: "All Fun and Games Until Somebody Dies"

* * *

Mamoru released Usagi as they entered the living room, leaving the girl to sort out her strange feeling of loss proceeding the severance. She paused, frowning at the knowing looks the Inners bestowed on her before intoning loudly,

"Well, Koto-chan's oblivious to the world... _finally_... Erm, why are you four grouped around the table like that?"

Minako grinned wickedly, stepping sideways to reveal an empty bottle lying innocently in the middle of their cluster.

Too bad the intentions of the ones surrounding it were anything but.

"_Is that for what I think it is_!?" Usagi hollered, starting when Mamoru threw a hand over her mouth.

"Shut. Up. Odango." He pinned his partner with an expression of warning, silently reminding the teen of their slumbering charge. The blonde acquiesced, but refused to cease levelling a glare of utmost animosity at Minako. Surprised, Usagi noticed she wasn't the only one bordering on fury when Mamoru turned to accost the leering flaxen as well.

"I can't believe you're going to make us play _spin-the-bottle_," he drawled, eying the thing with disdain. "Rather juvenile, isn't it?"

"Oh come on, it's just a game," Minako countered cheerily, not daunted by his malevolent tone in the slightest. "Lighten up and have some fun!" Mamoru realized then how uncannily similar the two bubbly blondes were, recalling a similar sentiment issuing from Odango's mouth only hours earlier. He wondered if they were twins in a past life or some other such nonsense...

"I won't be joining," Mamoru said stubbornly, crossing his arms over his chest. He plopped down onto the sofa and glowered. Usagi almost followed suit, but then considered that the act would mean she _agreed _with Mamoru... couldn't have that, could she? As the fourteen-year-old teetered on the precipice of indecision, Makoto grabbed her arm.

"Well Usagi-chan is, whether she likes it or not!" the brunette chuckled. "You're not slipping out of an experience like this on my watch!"

"But..."

"Ooh, don't be a stick in the mud! Don't be a... a... a Mamoru-san!"

Mamoru increased his death stare at the carpet, eyebrows arching and shoulders twitching.

"I- you know what? Fine. I'm playing," Usagi announced in surrender, smirking the college student's way. "_I'm _no stick in the mud." She squeezed herself in between Ami and Minako, straightening her back and raptly steadying herself as if for a youma battle, not spin-the-bottle.

"If Odango Atama can force herself... I guess... I could too," Mamoru responded, very slowly. His arms relaxed their offensive position warily, and the man slunk his way over to the table as if every inch pained him. The Senshi gaped, and Usagi blinked. What was this, 'Break-Down-Mamoru's-Barriers Day'? It seemed every notion she'd ever fostered over who this eighteen-year-old really was and what he was willing to partake in was being stripped cleanly away.

"Does the jerk have to? I preferred him much better sulking on the coach," Usagi moaned, fighting back images of the bottle twisting his direction. Ooh, if she had to lip-lock with that... that _creep_...

"Afraid you'll lose your first kiss to me, Odango?" the ebony-head teased, laughing at the horror flashing across her countenance. Usagi turned crimson.

"Of course not, you baka! And I've already given it to someone very special, _for your information_," the girl ground out, cursing the flush staining her cheeks. She ignored the raised eyebrows and snickering of her so-called friends.

"Yeah, and she hasn't shut up about it since," Rei lamented, violet eyes shining in mirth. Usagi chose to let the comment slide, instead growling,

"What about _you_, Mamo-baka? Worried your pathetic, lonesome, single existence is going to be compromised?"

"Is that your fancy way of asking me if I've ever kissed someone before, Odango?"

"I don't really care if you've-"

"Yes, I have," Mamoru gloated, cutting his companion off. "And although it's none of your business, I'll just share that it was more magical and more romantic and more _special _than yours probably ever was."

"Hmph! I doubt it!"

"Wanna bet?"

"I'M NOT GOING TO SIT DOWN AND TELL YOU MY LIFE STORY, CREEP! Ugh, guys, does he _have _to play?" Usagi repeated in an insufferable whine, visage pleading and desperate.

"It's only fair, Usagi-chan," Ami pointed out sensibly, and Usagi sighed upon discovering she couldn't dissuade this fact. Rotten principles of decency... Instead, she settled down into a brooding hunch and shunned all contact with Mamoru. Let the guy make a fool out of himself; what did she care if the rabies-infested jerk puckered up with her Senshi?

"Er, should we draw straws to see who goes first?" Ami next suggested.

"No need, no need," Minako waved airily. "I'll take the honors..."

"Lord save us all," Rei muttered under her breath, watching as her efficacious friend violently (or was it disguised eagerness?) spun the lump of plastic. It raced in circles for an indeterminate amount of time, gaining momentum on the glass coffee table's surface. Makoto swallowed visibly as she observed, uncomfortably, the bottle end its run to face... her.

"Well... crap."

"I'M NOT KISSING MAKO-CHAN!" Minako yelped in feral denial. "I take it back, I take it back!"

"Uh-uh," Rei giggled, shaking her head and gesturing toward the fiercely blushing Thunder Senshi. "You insisted, and now karma's come to bite you in the ass!"

"I hate karma," the blonde whined, fiddling with her fingers nervously. "... I thought the bottle would stop at the chair or something..."

"Or Mamoru-san?" Rei added, now full-out laughing at the stunned expression Mamoru wore.

"Well you have to admit, he is better than any of you lot, isn't he!" Minako argued, spots of red brightening her features. Embarrassed, Mamoru mumbled,

"Still here, you know."

"Why don't you stop stalling and get the kiss over with, huh?" Makoto opined, squeezing her eyes shut and waiting. Minako whined again, torn by the pressure, but finally she marched over and threw an awkward peck onto Makoto's lips. The two jumped back after the tortured exchange, gagging and rubbing at their mouths.

"EW, sorry, Mako-chan! That was horrible..."

"The feeling's mutual," Makoto concurred. "Damn, I don't like this game anymore."

"So... are we drawing straws now?" Ami inquired, the edges of her mouth jerking upward as she futilely tried to stifle a snigger. No one was shocked when the answer returned with an overwhelming vote of approval.

oOo

The game wound slowly to a close, everyone being of the same mind to conclude it as quickly as possible. It wasn't that they weren't enjoying the others' discomfort- no indeed; it was plenty hilarious- but when one suddenly found themselves with the prospect of having to smooch their female comrade, the tables turned unpleasantly. Ami herself was an unhealthy shade of fuchsia, having been a victim of both Makoto and Usagi's spins. She herself got landed with a strange point-me toward the couch's left leg, which grew awkward very fast. By the time her ordeal finished, the poor blunette looked ready to flee the house and run screaming home.

Rei gulped as she reached for the now not-so-innocent bottle, and Usagi could have sworn the girl was crossing her fingers for a brief instant.

"Now don't go cheating, Rei-chan," Usagi warned darkly, and Mamoru raised a poleaxed brow. Luckily for the scatterbrained Odango, he missed the cautioning glares of the Inners. Rei just settled for fury.

"How the hell would she cheat, Odango Atama?"

"I'd like to know how as well," Rei sneered, violet orbs flashing as she were _daring _the Moon Senshi to let slip her powers. Usagi swallowed nervously.

"Er... not that... she could... I just... Don't spin it slowly," the blonde mumbled lamely, and Rei pursed her lips as she nodded. Usagi watched intently as the priestess sent the bottle whirling, not sure why she was so keen on a fair spin, but the flaxen breathed a sigh of relief when no visible signs of tampering occurred. And then it caught in her throat.

The bottle ceased revolving directly in front of Mamoru, cap aching to touch his hand as it paused centimeters from the resting appendage.

Minako broke into a raucous fit of giggles. "Rei-chan has to kiss _Mamoru-san_! Oh jeez..."

Usagi couldn't seem to shut her gaping mouth as she stared at the bottle's verdict. For some reason, Mamoru seemed to notice this right away.

"Jealous, Odango?" he teased, and Usagi snapped her jaw closed.

"_No_," she ground out, trying to avoid meeting his line of sight as she feigned interest in a loose fabric hanging off her skirt. Usagi listened to Rei shuffle past her, starting when soft fingers inconspicuously brushed her own underneath the table. Nonplussed, the blonde glanced up to see Rei give her a funny look. It was odd, and she could not properly decipher the emotion within before Rei's countenance donned its usual apathetic mask as the raven-head approached Mamoru. If Usagi were to hazard a guess, it had appeared... apologetic?

_But... *why*? _she mused, appraising what seemed to be apprehension in Mamoru's eyes. _It's not like Rei-chan has anything to be sorry for. Ugh, Mamo-baka isn't my... my_ boyfriend _or anything..._

Yet, Usagi could not deny the way her heart began to thump very loudly as Rei's lips grabbed Mamoru's, and she wondered if anyone else could hear it too. A reverent silence descended, full of mysteriously sympathetic gazes from blushing Senshi, and Usagi fidgeted. Seconds crawled by like hours as she waited for this agony (_Agony? No, it did not bother her, not at all!_) to end, but thankfully, Rei pulled back from the connection to smile at Mamoru.

"Sorry," was all she said, shrugging, then the teen scooted back over to her spot. Mamoru scratched his head, confused. _Sorry? _Why was Rei acting so wrong-footed? He sighed. ..._Girls_.

The college student mulled the kiss over in his head, comparing it to his first on the moonlit balcony only months earlier, with the girl that had reminded him so irresistibly of the princess. While it had not been horrible in the slightest, he wondered why his heart hadn't fluttered and stomach done flip-flops as it had that night. Weren't all kisses supposed to be... magical? At least, according to all those infamously sappy romantic novels? He supposed it might have been because he didn't know Rei all that well, but the excuse sounded feeble. The pretty blonde guest he had danced with at Princess Diamond's party hadn't been anyone important to him either... so how was it _she _evoked such erotic reactions in him while Rei could not? It made no sense.

"Mamoru-san? _Mamoru-san_!"

"Huh? W-what?"

"You're the last one! It's your turn," Minako prodded, jolting the man from reverie. He grimaced at the gleam in her cerulean eyes, as if she were inwardly guffawing at his inattention.

"Er... yeah. Okay," he rambled, mindlessly twisting the bottle with an ungainly facade of detachment. The ploy was useless; the four Inners exchanged gleeful, knowing looks as Mamoru forgot about his masquerade in all the excitement, concentrating with an avid eagerness on the bottle's pirouetting path. They wondered if he were mentally wishing for any certain individual with golden odango and deeply azure eyes...

Perhaps he was, for it seemed fate was about to look down kindly on Chiba Mamoru.

Usagi gasped, the girls screeched, and Mamoru's mouth toppled open in shock.

"I AM NOT KISSING THAT TWO-FACED CREEP OF A MAN! I WILL NOT, I WILL NOT, I WILL NOT!" the aforementioned fourteen year old hollered, oblivious to the fact that Kotono slumbered only rooms above them. Mamoru did not seem to have any snarky comebacks; his face was slack with disbelief as his eyes fought to disconnect from their sockets. Minako snickered behind her hand.

"It's all fun and games until somebody dies!" she quipped. Ami rolled her eyes heavenward in equal exasperation and patience.

"Minako-chan, the adage is-"

"No, Ami-chan," Minako grinned, gesturing to the pale, sickly expressions marring both Usagi and Mamoru. "I'm pretty sure the line sums up our situation accurately this time."

And even Ami could not help but concur.

* * *

A/N: Evil, evil, evil! ^^ Well, actually... it's not as evil as what is about to come, hehe. Oh, but how I love Minako and her foreshadowing maxims! Er, I mean, _what_? You didn't hear that! ;D By the way, I am obviously referring to the episode that has already passed when Usagi and Mamoru speak of their first kisses. Ohh, if only they knew what we did! Tee hee XD

Review!

**AngelMoon Girl**


	9. Lights Out, Shadows About

Disclaimer: MOON TIARAAAAA... *what*, you mean I can't even claim THAT!? Ugh, copyrights suck.

A/N: Hey all! Well I'm quite happy with how this chapter came out; the words just seemed to flow right out my fingers... Which is a good omen for an author, right? ;D Er, but if you hated last chapter's cliffhanger, you'll KILL me for this one! So sorry in advance, okay? I want to express immeasurable gratitude to the following individuals for their reviews: **StarryNight101, madorno81, CharmedSerenity3, loveinthebattlefield, sakanascales876, Unknown For Some Reason, Chichiforever, Elen-Di, mangamania,** and **Ashgeliton.**

**Friday the Thirteenth**

Rated T

Chapter 9: "Lights Out, Shadows About"

* * *

"Usagi-chan," Makoto said patiently. "Do you think I would have accepted Minako-chan's kiss if I'd had a say in the matter? No. It's the same for you as it was for us, hon."

"But-" Usagi started to sob, only to be broken off by Ami's chary suggestion that it would be easier if she just got it over with. The blonde sighed miserably, looking up at Mamoru bashfully through her eyelashes. She could already feel heat emanating off her cheeks. Mamoru, for his part, looked rather nonchalant about the whole ordeal, though Usagi swore there was a constriction to his emotionless features. His apathy irked her; she wanted to know if he was disgusted, anxious, or even eager at the prospect. Dammit, why did the man always have to wear a mask!?

Unbeknownst to Usagi, Mamoru was having a mental discourse of his own as he slipped off the coach and knelt down in front of the delicately blushing fourteen-year-old. He took a deep breath as Usagi cleared her throat awkwardly, hands clenched into fists and eyes averted in embarrassment. How the hell should he go about this? Damn, why had the bottle chosen _her_, Odango, of all people? He liked their relationship just the way it was! This kiss...

Would it... change everything?

And-

How would she feel about him after this? Mamoru's fingers trembled ever-so-slightly as he gripped Usagi's shoulders and moved in. Her face was warm, and Usagi looked close to hyperventilation as his lips, soft and feathery, touched her own. And then, it happened, for the second time in Mamoru's life:

A fantastic pyrotechnic display. Brilliant white light, exploding into his mind and spreading a tidal wave of tingles down his body. It was magical. It was erotic.

And, in the midst of sensation overdose, Mamoru realized... it was Usagi. He was experiencing a kiss of heart-pounding proportions with _Odango Atama_. Not some random party guest who looked like the princess; no, this time... it was Odango. The girl he tormented daily; who destiny seemed to have thrown into his path every morning. His bane, his nemesis, his bugbear.

Surprised, but refusing to end such an unexpected rush of pure bliss, Mamoru deepened their connection. He was undeniably taken aback when Usagi, previously stiff as a rod, relaxed into his grasp. Could she feel it too, this powerful link that seemed to exist between them? Was her pulse performing erratic flips like an overzealous gymnast; was fire racing through every vein beneath that creamy, velvet skin?

Unfortunately, all good things cannot last forever, and the pair had to sever their mind-blowing kiss for oxygen eventually. Mamoru appraised Usagi, still reeling, and saw that she too had a dazed expression marring her countenance. With great reluctance, he pulled away from her and slunk back to the coach. The college student could sense more than see the stares of the others.

"Well that was awfully long," Rei commented airily, as if she were capitulating a fact of little significance to the group. Mamoru ignored her, watching Usagi for some sort of reaction other than shock.

"I hope I didn't offend you," he muttered in apology, seeking out her azure orbs. "I just... I wasn't sure how long we were supposed to draw it out... I-"

"You're... a pretty good kisser," Usagi finally spoke, traces of bewilderment still lingering in her voice. "... for a baka."

And Mamoru smirked, suddenly glad their relationship had not been compromised... too terribly, at least. There was something strangely amusing in how he could rile that girl up with but a few well-chosen words. Perhaps he was addled in the head, finding entertainment in the way beautiful splotches of color rose in that particular female's cheeks. Or maybe just perverted, because he thought a teen vastly younger than himself was cute when she fell prey to anger, even... _attractive_, at times. Either way, Tsukino Usagi had somehow and inadvertently crept past the wall he'd placed protectively around his heart, and he did not want to let what they had- or even what they _didn't_ have_-_ go.

Loneliness was no longer an option.

The mood was shattered when an insistent wailing sounded from high above. Mamoru and Usagi shared a glance, sighing.

"Koto-chan," they stated simultaneously, and Usagi graced Mamoru with a funny eyebrow cock.

"What?" Mamoru queried, nonplussed.

"You owe me a soda, pal."

"What!?"

"Haven't you ever heard the expression 'Jinx, you owe me a soda'?"

"No," Mamoru answered stonily, a little affronted. How the hell did she expect him to keep up with current fads among the youth? He _did _have a life, you know. "I'll see to Koto-chan. You stay with your friends."

"Okay," the fourteen-year-old responded, unconsciously licking her lips. She could still taste him as Mamoru ambled up and from the room, intent on maintaining that little piece of what had been brief, unadulterated rapture. It had been like chemical reaction; like discovering two corresponding parts of the same puzzle.

Could she and Mamoru be a... romantic match?

Usagi stifled a gasp, shielding her features in an attempt to hide her latest crimson flush. The idea seemed so far-fetched, but people always _did _claim opposites attracted... she just never thought the aphorism would apply to her and the jerk! Or... could it? The blonde wanted to groan; to ruminate this new development... _anything _but sit here and wait for Mamoru's return in the middle of four achingly curious Senshi.

Too bad her ebullient companions had other plans. Usagi shrank back in a sudden onslaught of claustrophobia as she looked up and realized the girls had completely surrounded her, leaving no possible space for escape.

"Usagi-chan," Minako chirped, entirely too cheerily. Usagi cowered a little more; it was never a good sign when Minako's eyes simmered with the ghost of a plot. Not. at. all. "We've all got a _burning_ question to ask you..."

Was sinking into the floor humanly achievable yet?

oOo

Mamoru released a breath with a tremendous whoosh of air, trying to clear his mind of all things Odango. Thinking about her had only succeeded in sending his brain winding in circles, boggling the man to the point of impending migraine. He had finally realized it was better to just stuff the issue of the kiss into a shadowy recess somewhere, leaving it to fester until he had time to sort out the foreign emotions regarding one Tsukino Usagi. It had to be healthier than simply stewing... right?

Kotono's crying escalated as Mamoru reached her door, and he quietly eased himself into her bedroom so as to not frighten the child.

"W-w-who's there? Mama?" Kotono bawled into the darkness, and Mamoru quickly flicked on the light.

"Shh, it's just me, Koto-chan. Mamoru," aforementioned ebony-head elucidated, gesturing to his face with a soothing disposition about him.

"Mamo-chan?" Kotono sniffed, blinking rapidly to adjust her eyes. Her fists chafed at belligerent tears still pouring down her ruddy pink cheeks.

"What's wrong? Did you have a nightmare?" Mamoru asked, coming over and perching himself beside the two and a half year old.

"No. I woked up and saw shadows on the lawn," Kotono hiccuped, pointing toward her window that showcased a small patch of backyard and the sprawling forest beyond. Mamoru pat down her messy brown locks with a paternal smile.

"You don't have to be afraid, Koto-chan. I'm sure it was just a nighttime animal," he assuaged. Kotono shook her head passionately, eyes wide.

"It was big!" she explained in hushed tones. "Not like raccoon. Mama shows me raccoon. They little. Shadow was _big_."

Mamoru furrowed his brow, but then he made a noise of revelation. "You probably saw our figures from the downstairs windows, then. See how the lamplight floods onto the grass? We probably walked by the window and you saw our shadow."

Kotono still didn't appear swayed, but she let Mamoru lay her back down against the pillows. He continued stroking her hair as she yawned sleepily. "It's late, Koto-chan. Your Mama will be home in a few hours. Just close your eyes now, okay? Everything's-"

Suddenly, the lights flickered, once... twice... and then failed entirely. A chorus of screams resounded from below, drifting up through the floorboards in mockery of horror movie wont. Mamoru tensed, frozen in the parturition of utter fear and worried sick about what had just occurred beneath his feet. Surely... surely they were only being typical scared females? Nothing... nothing terrible was happening...

... _Odango_...

Kotono bolted up, shaking and sobbing in fright renewed. She clawed at Mamoru's arm, yelling for her mother as Mamoru tried to make sense of it all in his own haze of anxiety. "Koto-chan, calm down, it's... it's just a power failure, but I'll need to fix it for the lights to come back on. Sweetheart, you need to let me go... I'm going to fix it..." Kotono complied, but her tremors refused to cease. Mamoru rubbed her shoulders consolingly. "Shh, it's alright, it's only the dark... hide under the covers if you're afraid and I'll be right back once I see what's up... I can send one of the girls to watch you, huh? Koto-chan?"

Instead of replying, Kotono threw the sheets over her head, bed now a shivering mass. Mamoru took this for compliance, touching the girl one last time before standing. Gulping down his own dread, Mamoru scolded himself for the way his legs shuddered. He was _Tuxedo freaking Kamen_, he could hold his own in battle and power outage alike. _Stop behaving like a baby, Chiba! _Mamoru steadied himself with a strained inhale, crossing the room and stumbling upon the door by memory. It discomfited him that all had gone eerily silent downstairs, and the creak of his exit made the eighteen-year-old even more wary. Images of Usagi in the clutches of her elusive "serial killer" were, oddly, the first that jumped to mind as Mamoru sneaked out into the hall. He braced himself for attack, spurred by concern as Usagi struggled in his mind's eye. Mamoru mentally chided himself for conjuring the fatalistic fantasies when the solution was simple: Check on his partner, examine the electrical box, be the hero as luminescence returned, then comfort poor Kotono. Cut and dried. So... why was he making a mountain out of a molehill? Why did the scene of Usagi and a murderer in voracious skirmish continue to plague him? What was this premonition of looming danger?

There was a loud reverberation from what sounded like beneath the stairwell itself. Mamoru started, nearly bounding a foot in the air. His breaths came in startled gasps and he had to quell rising terror in his gut a second time.

_Dammit, what is it now? _Mamoru inched over to the banister and peeked into the entrance hall-

Nothing, only three shafts of moonlight pooling upon the ecru-hued rug from the front door's windows. Knowing the risk involved in calling out, Mamoru decided he would use the quiescence to his advantage and soundlessly descend the stairs. _Search out the girls, fix the electricity, reassure Koto-chan_, Mamoru repeated to himself. It was becoming his mantra. _Cut and dried_.

Again, a bump pierced the foreboding quiet. Mamoru jerked his head over the railing, astonishment throbbing through his veins. It was coming from the small closet beneath the stairs... someone was _in. the. closet_!

"Holy shit," the man hissed, wasting no time wallowing in the maelstrom of shock that followed. "Holy shit!"

Mamoru hastened over to the cupboard-esque space within seconds, fingers quivering like leaves heaving in a searing gale as he fiddled with the latch. To hell with serial killers... One of the girls was trapped and a damsel in distress _always _came before enemy thrashing! With an almighty wrench, Mamoru flung the closet door open and a limp body toppled straight into his arms.

"_Odango_!?" Mamoru exclaimed harshly, forgetting the fact that he was supposed to be making as little extra noise as possible. Nothing else registered but the warm figure draped face-down in his lap. Terrified beyond words at what he would find, Mamoru turned Usagi over with a frantically pounding heart. An alarmed and very emotional cry rent loose from his throat at the sight of Odango Atama- the girl he had kissed only twelve minutes before- lying unmoving, face slack... eyes closed... and throat slit.

* * *

A/N: *Cough* This is why you do not know where my house is. Otherwise, I would fear for my life tonight :P

Reviews would motivate me to give all you breathless readers a meaning to my madness... But, er, no death threats hahaha! I will update as soon as possible, for fear of sending one of you Moonie fans into cardiac arrest or something from the suspense XD

Until next time,

**AngelMoon Girl**


	10. Impractical Jokes

Disclaimer: I don't own Sailor Moon... but I can claim rights to Fumara, Kotono, and good ol' Enigma!

A/N: Wow, sounds like everybody's pretty desperate... I'd feel terrible if one of you poor readers had a heart attack from suspense ;P So without any further ado, chapter 10! Thank you to **crescent-starchild09, mi-makoto-chan, Miss Lee Ann, sakanascales876, CharmedSerenity3, **Anonymous**, StarryNight101, Chichiforever, Elen-Di, HaruhiUsangie0808, Unknown For Some Reason, mangamania, JoFlake, Ashgeliton, -FacelessxAuthor-, madorno81,** and **PriestessHelene.**

**Friday the Thirteenth**

Rated T

Chapter 10: "Impractical Jokes"

* * *

"Oh God... _Odango_!" Mamoru cried, shaking her warm body gently. He could not seem to tear his suspiciously wet eyes from the bleeding laceration gouged into the blonde's neck, fingers trembling in pure horror. "ODANGO!"

And then- miraculously- Usagi's face scrunched up into a painful grimace. Oxygen flooded back into Mamoru's lungs, and he wondered just when air had failed him. _She's alive! _The man resisted sobs of pure joy, instead preparing to try and rouse the fourteen-year-old further. It worried him that Usagi now seemed to be releasing throaty noises. Mamoru delved into the recesses of his mind, trying to conjure up help from old medical textbooks he'd read, but it was to no avail- a haze of utter terror still had his brain firmly in its grip. Dammit, why wasn't he able to process thoughts properly!? Thankfully able to recall that one should put pressure on a serious injury (at least college wasn't a _complete _waste), Mamoru reached out to staunch the flowing wound as chokes continued to consume the blonde. He yelped when Usagi's eyes flew open just before his hand touched her skin, and she sat up rigid as if electrified straight. Usagi's head pivoted slowly until the pair met eyes.

Suddenly, the ebony-haired college student realized that what he had previously presumed to be gags on Usagi's part were actually stifled giggles.

Mamoru gaped as the odangoed girl collapsed back against the closet door, cerulean eyes shining and arms wrapped tightly around her stomach as she howled in mirth. Dimly, he registered the electricity had flickered back on, and the hall was now aching fit to burst with the raucous laughter of four teenage girls.

"You-got-conned!" Usagi snickered past her fingers, just as Makoto guffawed,

"Good one, Usagi-chan! Yeesh, _I _almost believed it when you just plumb fell right out of the closet! You could make a damn talented actress."

"Did you see the look on Mamoru-san's face? Priceless!" Rei tittered, pointing at the stunned man kneeling on the floor. Mamoru's countenance was expressionless as he continued staring at Usagi.

"You mean- this was all _staged_!? Odango wasn't... wasn't..." Mamoru trailed off as he gestured shakily to the crimson splotches marring Usagi's neck.

"It's just make-up, silly," Usagi chuckled, swiping at the aforementioned cosmetic. She showed him her stained palm, and suddenly the raven-haired man felt a rush of stupidity heat up his cheeks. In the light, it was obvious the pasty incarnadine substance was anything but blood. The salve had an almost ketchup-like appearance to it. Usagi started sniggering again, but Mamoru's emotions- already haywire from having been forced to such extremes in only ten minutes- took a sharply irrational turn.

"It's not funny," he hissed, and Usagi paused in mid-chortle. The room went quickly silent as everyone observed Mamoru's hands clench into fists, body taut as a bow. He seemed ready to throw himself at the blonde in front of him and finish what the Senshi had started. Usagi gulped as she watched anger cloud her partner's visage.

"M-Mamoru, it was just a practical joke; can't you take a-"

"DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED YOU HAD ME!? I THOUGHT YOU WERE _DEAD_! SO _NO_, I GUESS I CAN'T TAKE A JOKE, BECAUSE IT WAS _NOT _FUNNY! I thought... I thought that serial killer had come in here and... and..." But words deserted the eighteen-year-old, so he simply hung his head. The girls exchanged ashamed glances, visibly remorseful for their juvenile prank. Usagi sighed, brushing the tips of her fingers consolingly against Mamoru's knuckles, apology on her lips. Before she could even open her mouth, however, he jerked away. Hurt- and not really sure why- Usagi reeled back onto her ankles and scooted hastily into the corner. Mamoru stumbled up, thus putting even greater distance between them. An awkward quiescence festered before the college student muttered,

"I need to go see Koto-chan. She's scared stiff, no thanks to _you_."

Guilt gave a swift kick right into Usagi's gut. She winced as Mamoru stalked up the stairs, each footfall a merciless punch at her dignity. She felt as if the man had just pummeled her with a barrage of disgraceful accusations, but the teen knew she deserved each and every one of them. _Why _had she agreed to let her friends carry out this stupid prank? What the hell had she been trying to prove, wanting to see Mamoru concerned over her life like that? Hadn't her antics at the ice cream shop done damage enough? And poor Kotono...

_What a terrible babysitter I am_, Usagi moaned inwardly, burying her face in her hands.

"I didn't mean to take so long, guys; it's strange- I had to fix the wires first; they were all knotted and falling out of... Oh dear," Ami's voice sighed as she meandered back into the hall, returning from her little trip to the Himo's outdoor power box. "See, I _told _you this wasn't going to end well... no one ever listens to reason!"

"Usagi-chan, we're sorry. This is all our fault; we suggested it," Makoto lamented, sidling over to comfort their quietly sniffling leader. "Please don't cry; I'm sure Mamoru-san isn't _that _mad..."

"Yeah, he's probably just green," Minako added, nodding sagely. She blinked under the assault of three glares.

"Minako-chan, _what_-"

"Green! You know... environmentally conscious?"

"Again: Minako-chan, what does this useless little tangent have _anything _to do with the situation at hand?" Rei ground out, pinching the bridge of her nose and praying for patience.

"Well, maybe Mamoru-san's the energy efficient type, and he's miffed we shut off the pow- oh. That _is _being... ah... never mind," Minako blushed, noticing too late that her rather contradictory alibi had just died a miserable death.

"I bet he hates me," Usagi sobbed, rubbing at her glistening cheeks. Rei smiled ever-so-slightly as she watched Usagi smear red make-up in the appendage's wake, commenting very lightly,

"I dunno, he seemed pretty distraught to me... And besides, that's never bothered you before."

Usagi froze, and Rei grinned triumphantly as the blonde stopped crying to ponder this revelation. "He was dis...? And I'm... but I don't..."

"Usagi, go wash your face. It looks like you've just been mauled by a hot dog and now you're rambling like an idiot."

"Baka," Usagi murmured to the priestess, a dazed expression still firmly in place. She stood with Makoto's help, tripping aimlessly toward the bathroom with an ungainly, listless wobble. Clearly, the blonde's attention was elsewhere, and her Senshi had a sneaking suspicion it lingered presently on the enigma with shaggy black locks and darkly azure eyes.

oOo

Mamoru raked a hand through his hair, exhaling raggedly as he shut Kotono's bedroom door. It had required much reassurance, but finally the child was sleeping to the promise that no one was currently robbing the house or murdering her babysitters. _Stupid kids... don't think at all about repercussions... Awful attempt at a joke... Totally impractical! Asinine and... and... _Mamoru grit his teeth. _Why the hell did I lose control like that? I can't afford to chuck sense out the window again! I'm a frigging superhero; I should know better!_ Of course_ she was faking! I should have checked her pulse or... or... done something other than freak out, ogling her neck!_

Even as Mamoru scolded himself, he tasted the bitter remnants of terror still clawing its way through his insides. Usagi... throat slit... limp in his arms... He gulped oxygen greedily, hoping to subdue the images still plaguing his mind of Usagi struggling futilely against a harsh-faced serial killer in a dark, cold, and cramped room. _She's alive; she's _fine_. Stop acting like the girl's seconds away from being knifed!_

The college student shuffled wearily down the stairwell, faltering as a figure sporting a mop of gold odango slammed into him.

"Oh- I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I didn't see you!" Usagi apologized, bowing profusely. Mamoru raised a brow.

"Jeez, Odango, it's okay... Normally I'd expect to find a shoe pitched at my nose, but I guess this is an improvement."

Usagi paused. "You're... you're not mad?"

"I'll... get over it. After all, it was only meant to be a practical joke, right? I've found it blights my beautiful complexion to hold grudges," the eighteen-year-old joked wryly. Usagi graced him with a brilliantly blinding smile that went straight to his knees.

"I'm glad," she answered with heartfelt conviction. Then the blonde frowned. "I just wish my friends would take that attitude. They're trying to make up for their mistake with strip poker. _Strip poker_, of all things! As if I _want_ to play a game like that. I don't know what they're trying to insinuate! I'm not that kind of girl, _at all_! They've chosen such weird entertainment all night."

The teen shook her head in exasperation, snorting, then continued on up the stairs. Mamoru remained in the exact position she left him in. His eyes were glued to her retreating back when the statement caught up with him.

Strip... poker?

Mamoru's breath decided to stick in his throat in that moment, features burgeoning from a pale white to a vibrant pink.

* * *

A/N: I DIDN'T KILL USAGI! Aren't I just the nicest author in the world? ^^ Please review! We're delving into some fun and exciting chapters next, but I'll warn you that the story shall be coming to a close soon :( Enjoy the mayhem while it lasts!

**AngelMoon Girl**


	11. High Stakes

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon and its affiliated characters are property of our god, Naoko Takeuchi.

A/N: Lordy, Lordy, it seems I have let this story sit for WAY too long! Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if I lost a reader or two... three months is beyond brutal. I apologize! Thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter: **StarryNight101, madorno81, Elen-Di, CharmedSerenity3, mangamania, Ashgeliton, AZ, sakanascales876, beauitfulmoonbunny, Unknown For Some Reason, crescent-starchild09, HaruhiUsangie0808, -FacelessxAuthor-, PriestessHelene, merangelgal, Usagi1432, mi-makoto-chan, NyanNyan96, KristaxD, LunaV-chan, **and** Lexybug07.**

Right, so... I've never actually played anything but regular poker. Hence, I may not be totally accurate when it comes to the rules of stripping, but eh, I can make do. Just don't blow a gasket if you find minor errors in gameplay here and there, my hardcore friends ^^

**Friday the Thirteenth**

Rated T

Chapter 11: "High Stakes"

* * *

"Motoki-kun is going to murder me, no question about it," Mamoru mumbled under his breath, still hardly daring to believe that he was sitting around a table with five fourteen-year-olds in varying degrees of undress. Playing strip poker. In an unchaperoned house. At a quarter to midnight.

Yes, Motoki would've killed him, had the Crown Game employee been anywhere near the lone male and his exuberant comrades. Probably with a large steak knife, starting with a crucial aspect of his anatomy that Mamoru certainly did not want severed... He inhaled raggedy, raking a hand through his messy black locks.

"All right, friends... ante up!" Minako declared, tossing a chip onto the wooden tabletop. Loose hair falling in cascades around her shoulders, the bubbly blonde glanced down to inspect what little garments she had left to barter. Already, Minako had lost the most articles of clothing compared to her other, less promiscuous companions. Her red bow, shoes, socks, and skirt all lay in a heap next to various winners of different rounds. But the girl didn't stop there. Always the trendsetter, Minako decided to jump into the heart of strip poker. "Panties."

Mamoru was suddenly quite glad he was situated so far away from the teen. Any closer, and he would have been too tempted to sneak a peek.

"Left shoe," Ami murmured, face tinged a vibrant crimson as if the possibility were mortifying. Of the six, she'd been the most resourceful with her choices, and Ami was the only female still fully covered. Then again, maybe it just helped that the modest pedantic came into the game bearing an IQ of 300, and thus had won the most.

Rei sucked in a quick breath, realizing she too was getting down to the wire. "... shirt."

Usagi squealed, flushing. "Rei-chan!"

Rei turned to glare at the fourteen-year-old beside her. "It's not any worse than Minako-chan's! Besides, what other choice do _you_ have?"

"Hair ties," Usagi intoned smugly, reaching up to pat her odango.

"You'll have to ante both. They're far too small to be considered separate items, just like socks," Makoto interrupted, wagering, "I'll add mine for good measure. Forgot about that! Mamoru-san?"

Mamoru examined the starched white undershirt he was currently showing off, and the pants underneath that. He tried to reason which was the worse of two evils, given that his shoes, socks, blazer, and black turtleneck now belonged to various Senshi. Bare his chest or those silky new boxers Motoki forced him to purchase? "Ah... shirt."

"Ooooh," Minako, Makoto and Rei chorused, exchanging teasing looks. Ami just cleared her throat and feigned interest in the floor while Usagi watched Mamoru with an undecipherable expression in place. She started when Ami quietly reminded the blonde it was her turn to deal. After that, Usagi seemed to be avoiding all association with the man. She hurried to dispense the necessary cards before absorbing herself in intent strategy. Mamoru frowned, wondering what was running through that enigmatic head. Usagi used to always strike him as dim and scatterbrained, but after tonight he knew his assumptions had been completely off the mark- the girl was smarter than he ever gave her credit for. With that thought in mind, Mamoru also buried himself in the combinations laid out before him in ranging reds and blacks. He wondered if it would be easier to fold, what with the awful hand he was dealt- one pair of threes? Mamoru sighed. Hello, biceps. Before being able to open his mouth, Rei slammed down her boon.

"DAMN, I'm on a roll! That's TWICE in a row! Straight flush in high diamonds- read it and weep, fellow strippers! Unless of course you can _top _me?" Rei cackled at her horrible pun.

The room was filled with the sound of groans as the losers discarded themselves of their bets. It was with an overpowering sense of self-consciousness that Mamoru eased off his undershirt, listening to the teenage girls suck in awed breaths at his toned abs born from many nights spent battling vicious youma. The eighteen-year-old blinked bashfully after undressing, trying to look anywhere but at Minako's flagrant attempt to slide off her pink panties in public. His eyes flickered to the window, inwardly shivering as a ghostly shadow danced by the glass, but it was gone so quickly Mamoru decided it had just been a figment of his hyperactive imagination. The raven-headed college student redirected his gaze and paused, catching Usagi mid-smile as she appreciated his pectorals while letting down her flowing gold hair. The blonde schooled her features lightning fast upon noticing his newfound attention, but not before Mamoru sent a conspiratorial wink in return. He could tell she was just as impressed as her friends, and that knowledge filled the lonely orphan with warmth.

Some unconscious part of her liked him, even if it was just his body. And that made Mamoru strangely giddy, to the point where he puffed out his chest for good measure. _Strip poker? Bring it on._

The next round promised to be an eventful one. Everyone was stuck giving nitty-gritty, uncomfortable antes that, except for Ami's, encompassed main articles of clothing. Mamoru found himself oddly eager when Usagi mumbled that she'd deprive herself of her shirt, although karma came back to bite him in the butt when the eighteen-year-old was locked into parlaying his comfy, unrevealing trousers. Damn, he did _not _want to share those sexy boxers! The way this night was going, he wouldn't be surprised if half the room fainted from Mamoru-skin-overload. He could already envision a puddle forming under the table from all of Minako's excess drool...

Makoto speed dealt, apparently as excited as Mamoru was to end the torturous wait. With a fatalistic groan, the man scooped up his cards, hoping to scrape by with a two pair or- if he was lucky- some sort of flush. He was _not_ expecting, however, a full house. And a _royal _full house, at that! Barely managing to hide his grin, Mamoru proceeded to fudge his way through the rest of the round with low chip offerings before emerging victorious. He watched as the Senshi shrugged reluctantly, everyone but Ami and Usagi relieving themselves of their school uniform tops. The latter scowled moodily at the carpet, embarrassment painting bright spots of red on either of the blonde's cheeks.

"_Usagi_," Rei hissed, clad in scanty black lingerie. "You anted. You have to."

"No," the aforementioned Odango Atama choked out obstinately, unconsciously wrapping her arms around her waist. "No. I won't. I can't!"

"C'mon, Usagi-chan. Be a team player," Makoto coaxed, her emerald orbs gleaming in mirth. It was very difficult for Mamoru not to stare; anyone with two eyes could tell Makoto was gifted with the largest breasts of her friends, and even the brunette's white sports bra failed to disguise their bouncy nature. "You've come this far, after all. Don't let a little testosterone scare you!"

Usagi threw Makoto a glare, but it was obvious she mistook the foreign allusion for an insult.

"Makoto-san is referring to my hormones, which for some reason she expects to surge to unheard-of proportions after you change. Despite the fact that I'm already surrounded by half-naked women and am handling myself quite well, thank you very much," Mamoru drawled in clarification, and it was true. He could have jumped any of the arguably hot females around this table multiple times since they undressed down to their underwear, yet not one of them had fazed him. Why would tiny Tsukino Usagi, smallest of her posse, be any different?

Mamoru should have known, especially after the mind-blowing kiss earlier, that one shouldn't count their eggs before they hatch.

Glaring cynically, Usagi practically ripped off her shirt, angry countenance almost daring her companions to crack a joke over her less endowed chest. Launching Mamoru's prize at his face, the girl then settled back all proud and prim, clearly believing her dignity was at stake. After all, Usagi had never- not even in front of her brother- bared herself to this extent in the presence of a man.

... a man as scarcely attired as she. The odanged teen felt exposed; naked.

But she also felt a certain fiery desire writhing in her belly; a sentiment shared by the raven-haired college student closely watching Usagi. A rush of heat curled up his back as Mamoru inconspicuously eyed the creamy, lace-trimmed twins before him. As much as Usagi had endeavored to conceal her bosom, Mamoru couldn't help but find fascination at the way in which his nemesis' breasts curved delicately- perfectly- downward, only to perk back up upon reaching the crest of the nipple. He blinked.

Wait, nipple? Protruding?

Mamoru may have been inexperienced, but he knew from umpteen hours of medical school that when a woman was cold (nah, heat was on) or aroused (the more likely answer), her nipples darted out, as if begging for their own attention.

And when Mamoru slowly skimmed his eyes up to meet Usagi's, he was very surprised to discover that she was examining him just as intensely. She smiled shyly.

Before the man could add two and two, the lights went out a second time, dousing the living room in total darkness.

And oddly enough, amongst the startled shrieks and calls for lumination, Mamoru groaned in frustration.

Why, God, why? He'd been so enjoying strip poker...

* * *

A/N: DUN DUN DAAA! So ends the hot little chapter bursting with hormones; in parades the thrilling climax of a lifetime... ;D

Review, please!

**AngelMoon Girl**


	12. Tick Tock

Disclaimer: Sometimes I wake up and I'm Naoko Takeuchi. Then I take my meds and I'm still boring old AngelMoon Girl, owner of nary but a toothbrush, excessively curly hair, and a few minor characters you can find in various stories.

A/N: You begged for a quick update... here it is! Thanks **mi-makoto-chan, SerentiyMoonGodness, CharmedSerenity3, StarryNight101, LamourDNC, caiteexx, AZ, Jubilee Torch, serenityselena, mangamania, sakanascales876, **and** crescent-starchild09 **for the lovely reviews!

**Friday the Thirteenth**

Rated T

Chapter 12: "Tick Tock"

* * *

At some point during the pandemonium, Rei collected her wits and managed to divine out a flashlight, conveniently hiding within a drawer just inside the blackened kitchen. When she returned to the living room, Ami was throwing open curtains to let in more of the streaming moonlight while Mamoru called loudly,

"All right, very funny. Who was the genius behind _this _diversion? Come on, bring out the blood; the dead bodies. I'm ready."

"Mamoru-san..."

"It's a little redundant after the first prank, you know," Mamoru drawled, crossing his arms over his chest with an ornery scowl.

The Senshi stared.

"Mamoru-san, we've been here the whole time. No has left this living room for at least half an hour," Makoto reminded the frowning college student. Mamoru blinked.

"You mean... you didn't do this?"

Mamoru gazed around at the wide-eyed girls, some frightened and some adamant. But as one, the eerily illuminated faces shook back and forth in sober denial. Mamoru exhaled in a whoosh, truth finally sinking in. Makoto was right; this was no juvenile caper, only a freaky coincidence. He could tell they weren't lying. The power really had gone out. Mamoru relaxed his arms from their defensive position uncertainly as Ami sighed by the window, squinting into the inky backyard. Then the pedantic turned, gesturing to an object beyond everyone else's line of vision.

"The electric cords must have fallen out of their sockets. I wasn't sure I secured them properly anyway, the last time I was fooling around with the circuit board. Mechanics isn't exactly my forte," she admitted apologetically. "I can head out to the power box. It's located right near the shed, toward the end of the house. If I can just take Rei-chan's flashlight and-"

"No, I'll go. You stay," Mamoru interrupted, beginning to haphazardly throw on his clothes. "Looks like strip poker is now over; sorry, girls."

"Mamoru-san-"

"Don't fight me on this, Ami-san. It's late, and like you said, I probably know more than you do about power boxes and mechanical failure. I can handle myself just fine if any problems arise. You all sit tight until I get back," Mamoru ordered, inwardly concerned for the petite erudite over wild animals and electrocution. He knew he was far more capable than Ami, IQ of 300 or not. Were any of _them_-whiny and immature schoolgirls that they were- superheroes by night, gifted with supernatural strength and premonition-like intuition? He didn't think so.

Without another word, Mamoru stalked from the living room and, a dull resonation of the front door later, was lost to the Senshi.

"He didn't even take the flashlight," Rei murmured, looking down at the hot torch still in her hand, currently casting artificial luminescence onto a small patch of the carpet. She lifted the beam to magnify into the room.

"Maybe he left it for us," Ami shrugged, departing the window to go claim a spot on the sofa next to Makoto. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Probably doesn't even need it anyway. Hey, can I have my stuff back?"

"Yeah, I want my shirt, please," Rei sniffed, wandering over to the table and grasping up a crumpled pink pair of underwear by her thumb and forefinger. With disgust, she tossed it over to Minako. "Ugh. Spare us your unmentionables and put the panties back on, Minako-chan."

Minako caught the sheer lingerie deftly and tugged the lacy panties back on over her legs. "Meanie."

The minutes ticked by in lethargic silence, broken only by the labored breathing of the Senshi. All were on edge, hair prickling and goosebumps popping out on every arm. Usagi toiled away the wait by alternating between watching the clock and the window, both futile maneuvers as neither did much to soothe her anxiety. She couldn't see anything but the ebony colored abyss beyond the transparent frame, and the sound of time slipping away teased the teen with its mocking repetition:

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

"He's been out there an awful long while," Minako commented nonchalantly from the floor, hugging her crooked legs close. Her attempt to disguise fear for apathy was in vain; no one failed to notice that the blonde was trembling ever-so-slightly. She licked her lips, starting to rock back and forth. "You know, I heard on the news there's a serial killer loose in Tokyo. Targets women by appealing to their sensitivities. Real dangerous, that Enigma. They say his first murder was a babysitter. Likes to rape his victims, nice and slow. Gets him in the mood. Then, bam! Slices up their body parts."

Usagi burst into tears just as Rei exclaimed, "God, Minako-chan, _enough about the serial killer_!"

Minako shriveled in on herself. Makoto hurried off the couch to go wrap an arm around Minako.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry! I'm just really scared, and I tend to ramble when I'm scared," Minako moaned, blue eyes pleading with Usagi and the others not to be angry with her. Ami smiled consolingly as she patted Usagi on the shoulder.

"It's alright. We're all a little wrung out. Perhaps we shouldn't have riled ourselves up with that prank earlier, huh?" she laughed half-heartedly. "It's okay, Usagi-chan. Enigma wouldn't come here. He stalks his victims first, and since that hasn't been an issue for any of us, we have nothing to worry about. Besides, this house is practically in the middle of nowhere. He has no reason to be lurking out here."

"I'm not worried about us," Usagi sniffled, scrubbing at her cheeks. "I'm worried about... about Mamoru-san. Minako-chan's right. He should be back by now."

"Well, restoring electricity is a lengthy and arduous process-"

"Something's wrong, I know it," Usagi countered fiercely.

"Don't be silly," Rei tittered, glancing out the window nevertheless. "Listen to Ami-chan and stop being a baby."

Instead of cowed, Usagi seemed revitalized by the gibe. She brushed off Ami's comfort and stood, marching over to confront Rei. "I need to look for him."

"No," Rei said simply, shining the flashlight toward the window. "Do you see how dark it is? I'm not letting you go outside all alone. With your luck, you'll have a klutz attack right on the stairs."

"Please, Rei-chan. I'll take the flashlight, and Mamoru-san will be there if anything does happen. I just need to check on him," Usagi entreated, dread curling in her gut. It was a feeling hard to describe; not unlike the one she received when people were in danger and requiring of Sailor Moon's aid, and yet... it was different. Deeper. More potent. Even... familiar, like a lost long bond strung between two fated individuals. But her Senshi wouldn't have understood, especially given the person to whom Usagi suddenly felt connected. So she kept mum, instead eying Rei with desperate beseechment.

Rei hesitated.

"_Please_."

"You're nothing if not stubborn, aren't you, Usagi? Fine, but _be careful_. I don't enjoy sending you out there to stumble around in the night," Rei acquiesced, relinquishing ownership of the flashlight. "You've got your communicator, right?"

"In my pocket," Usagi responded cheerily, accepting the torch with a gracious smile. "Thank you, Rei-chan."

"If you come in here all scraped and bruised, don't say I didn't warn you," the priestess muttered under her breath, waltzing over to the sofa to sink into its depths. "And keep yourself on guard. I don't care how lustily you two watch each other strip or how magical your kisses are, Mamoru-san is still Mamoru-san, and he is also a man. Men only have one thing on their minds, Usagi. To take advantage of naive, impressionable girls like you."

"Oh, shut up," Usagi growled, separating herself from the termagant and her Senshi with an airy wave.

"I'm not joking!" Rei cried, but Usagi had already distanced herself enough that she was able to ignore her fiery comrade. The odangoed blonde sighed as she approached the front door, ruminating on Rei's cautioning parting words. Had she been serious about Mamoru-san? Had he really been eying her, small-chested and plain little Usagi, with desire? And there was no refuting the fact that their kiss had been nothing less than magical...

"Rei-chan's overreacting, like usual," Usagi told herself firmly, recalling all the other times her temperamental friend had exaggerated events and blew throwaway comments out of proportion. And yet, for some reason, the notion that Mamoru might find her enticing; attractive... well, it warmed the fourteen-year-old's heart. She had seen a new side to Mamoru during this babysitting experience, and for once, the thought of him liking her- maybe even _touching_ her- was no longer revolting. On the contrary, it brought shivers dancing down the girl's spine.

Usagi crept nimbly onto the porch, closing the door gently behind her. The moon was cresting over a giant cloud high in the star-strewn sky, enveloping the dark green grounds in both light and shadow. To Usagi, the moon's presence was both a curse and a blessing. On the one hand it promoted feelings of safety and security in her, but on the other it served to make the surrounding forest seem more ominous. Biting her lip, Usagi raised the flashlight and began to inch nervously onto the grass.

"Mamoru-san?" she hissed, coming around the side yard with her light bobbing across the trees. "Mamoru-san!"

There was no answer, only a forlorn creak somewhere behind the house that made Usagi jump. She resisted the urge to squeal, instead taking a steadying breath.

_Come on, Usagi, you can do this! It's just the wind,_ the blonde reassured herself, trying to quell her irrational fright.

"Mamoru-san, are you there? Are you okay?" she asked, a little louder. Usagi darted into propinquity of the white siding on the house, tiptoeing into the backyard with its solid presence at her fingertips. She peeked around the corner, only to find the man was- as she expected- nowhere to be seen. The power box was hanging wide open, hatch swinging this way and that in synchronization with the slight breeze. Usagi wondered if that was what had made the clinking noise, but a more pressing question gnawed at the forefront of her brain.

_Where was Mamoru?_

Then she saw it. About a yard away was a dusty old shed, wooden door much the same as the power box as it swayed, ajar. Relief flooded Usagi's system and she chuckled at her own stupidity. Of course Mamoru wasn't in danger! He had only disappeared for a moment to find something to aid in the recovery of electricity, but Usagi realized that he must be having a hell of a time trying to find a tool in that dark shed. One glance at her flashlight, and Usagi knew she had to help.

Tripping down the small slope, Usagi slowed up as she approached the shed. The wind intensified as the girl neared the door, gale whipping cold and painful against her body; ripping through her odango. As if it were pressing her to turn back; retreat to the sanctuary of the house. But Usagi was an immovable force, and she did not speak the tongues of earth. So she continued on, sidling past the door and beyond the siren call of the wind. The shed smelled like a mixture of acrid gardening chemicals and rank mulch; Usagi had to stifle a sneeze because the air was so musty. She lifted the flashlight.

"Mamor-"

Excruciating pain erupted on the back of Usagi's head, and she dropped the flashlight, watching it roll with the dizzying sensation of having been nailed with a falling hammer. And that's what Usagi surmised occurred, until her reeling figure was embraced from behind by vice-like arms, tendons standing erect on the strong skin of the individual holding Usagi captive. Through a haze she could tell her heart was racing a mile a minute, but the fourteen-year-old was unable to scream because one of the appendages holding her tethered reached up to clamp Usagi's mouth shut. The snared teen choked out a muffled sob when she saw the glint of silver only centimeters from her face, clutched tight in her captor's hand.

Carved proudly in makeshift scrawl across the knife's blade was one word; a name.

_Enigma_.

Terror pounded in every vein of Usagi's body.

"One wrong move, and you're dead," a gravelly male voice whispered in the blonde's ear threateningly, finger tapping his weapon.

On the dirt floor, the flashlight cycled until it came to rest against a pair of black and white shoes.

* * *

A/N: GASP!

...GASP!

Sooo, um, it was cruel. I know. And, I anxiously await your reviews? Haha. Sorry, not much else to say when there's a cliffhanger like THAT ;P

**AngelMoon Girl**


	13. Angels and Men

Disclaimer: Sailor Moon is not mine.

A/N: Yipes, sorry to leave you all on such a cruel cliffhanger. Life got a little crazy during the summer, but I do believe I am back for good! Thank you to **StarryNight101, Totallycourts, Serandi82, crescent-starchild09, CharmedSerenity3, AZ, Unknown For Some Reason, dainlord, LamourDNC, serenityselena, sakanascales876, Anonymous, mangamania, PriestessHelene, Only One True God - Jesus, SnowCharms, LGCoffeeAddict, PRiNC3SS T, PoisonIvy89, GirlWithAPearl, Eager Reviewer, Aldi82 **and **mi-makoto-chan **for the thoughtful and motivating reviews! They helped guide me through a very rough patch of writer's block, let me tell you!

**Friday the Thirteenth**

Rated T

Chapter 13: "Angels and Men"

* * *

**_Tell me, tell me,_**  
**_The moon of my imagination. _**

**_Be silent, be silent_**  
**_Leave this illusion and say no more. _**

**_I am here, I am here,_**  
**_Why are you so afraid of the face of god?_**

_**-**Juno Reactor; song "Angels and Men"_

* * *

Usagi's heart plummeted straight down to her feet as a wave of hopeless desperation engulfed her. Enigma's muscular contours pressed firmly into her shaking body as he teased her earlobe with his tongue.

"Good girl," the rough voice crooned, hand snaking away from Usagi's mouth to gently caress her odango. Usagi gulped noisily, watching the silver blade as it moved across her line of vision with that despicable hand; warily, for the weapon could, at any moment, spell her untimely and violent end.

"You and I... are going to get to know each other _very well_," Enigma hissed, voice inflecting into a purr by the end of his declaration. Usagi trembled, whining fearfully at the hand that traced a perverted pattern down to her navel, stopping to linger far too long in places she did not want any man near at this point in her life.

"S-stop. P-please," the blonde stuttered, teeth chattering painfully against each other. She twitched her fingers toward her pocket, hoping to distract Enigma long enough to at least fetch her communicator. "I'll do anything. _Anything_..."

Enigma groaned into Usagi's hair. "Begging. Oh, the devolution; the degradation. Always my favorite part of the experience... to hear even the strongest men and women cast down; emasculated into blithering _fools_... Weak, meaningless, vulnerable and easy for the taking-"

"You're sick!" Usagi gasped, but a thrill of fear rushed through her as Enigma chuckled throatily, tugging her roaming hand back into his clutches.

_No no no no no..._

"Perhaps."

_I've got to transform, but I can't reach my brooch; I need to alert the Senshi, they're in danger too, but I can't... I can't... Oh Mamoru-san, where are you, please help me! Help... _But even as Usagi screamed for Mamoru in her mind, Enigma pushed her against the wall with brute force. Usagi let out a muffled sob, trying to free her arms as she realized where this was going to lead. Minako's voice echoed around inside her head.

_"Likes to rape his victims, nice and slow. Gets him in the mood. Then, bam! Slices up their body parts..."_

"No, no, please no," Usagi moaned, beginning to struggle for use of her appendages. "Let me go!" She kicked out with her legs, jactating and letting them flail in Enigma's general direction while in the same instance trying to keep track of where the knife was in propinquity with her body. On impulse, Usagi's foot connected with the nearest thing in sight, her fallen flashlight, and it rolled across the dirt a second time. She froze, watching as the beam swivelled to rest on a slack figure stuffed into the corner. The motionless countenance mocked Usagi as she realized her primary rescuer was out for the count-

Perhaps permanently.

"Mamoru-san...?"

Usagi's voice had taken on a frighteningly broken quality; it was pure horror mixed with a concern so strong it stung her throat. _Is he... he's not...?_

"You'll be lucky if you don't join him," Enigma threatened in his gravelly tenor, and Usagi's face finally snapped back to accost her assailant. For the first time that night, she saw his face in stark relief through the rebounding rays of the flashlight.

Brown, graying hair...

A face, pleasantly aged with few wrinkles but for one imperfection- a scar, white and jagged marring the man's left cheek...

"You!" Usagi breathed, staring up at the stranger she'd met only hours earlier at Perhoff's. The recognition seemed to spark courage in Usagi. "I knew it... I knew there was something off! M-Mamoru-san wouldn't believe me but I could feel it... You liar, you're not a bellhop! You don't have any children!"

Usagi wasn't sure why his deception bothered her so much. Maybe it was because, in some deep crevice of her heart, she'd actually felt sorry for the creepy stranger to whom she had nothing to spare for his family, fake though they were. It was disconcerting, it was deceitful... but most of all it was evil: pure human wickedness. Usagi had grown accustomed to the alien fiends that roamed earth wreaking havoc for vengeful purposes, but to encounter that same malevolence in her own species... it sickened her.

"Clever girl," Enigma leered. "Unfortunately it does not matter that you discovered the ruse now. It is far too late in the game to save yourself from what is to come..."

He pressed the knife so closely to Usagi's throat that she nearly gagged, feeling its sharp pressure dig gently into the first layer of her skin. Something soft, wet, and warm ran down onto her collar, tickling as it went but Usagi was too aware of Enigma's weapon to react. She licked her lips. If Enigma would just release her arms from their vice grip, then the teen might just be able to tear off her brooch before he sliced her jugular...

_I need to _do_ something!_

"Game," Usagi grunted, and Enigma eased the knife back ever-so-slightly so she could speak, clearly intrigued. "You said 'game'. Is that what I am to you? What... murder is to you? A game?"

She had to keep him distracted, whatever it took; words were her only leverage in such a precarious situation. Maybe if she rambled long enough the girls would realize hers and Mamoru's absence was stretching into the exorbitant.

"Like a lion to its prey," Enigma smirked, running his tongue across the top layer of his pristine teeth. Again Usagi was struck by the fact that for a serial killer, Enigma was fairly well kempt. If it weren't for the oddly excited, almost mad gleam in his eyes, Enigma would have passed as a perfectly normal member of society. And she realized- he did. And he would continue to unless Usagi managed to find a loophole to take advantage of. "Stalking is an art; an art I have mastered over time. I am perceptive where others are blind; Quiet where others bumble around with grace of a charging bull. But my greatest achievement is patience. I have patience enough to win the game. And I _always_ win."

"How did you follow us? You were on foot!"

"Sometimes it's as simple as a car left unlocked outside an ice cream parlor..."

Usagi blanched. "I... forgot to... and you... You were in the trunk? The whole time?" She remembered feeling jumpy the whole ride back; that niggling tingle on the back of your neck when someone is watching from afar but you just can't put your finger on it. Remembered throwing herself into singing along with the radio and occupying Kotono and bugging Mamoru because if she sat still, the foreboding would surely have overcome her...

"Until everyone retired into the house. And then I slipped out, surveying the grounds, the electricity... A girl- blunette, pretty little awkward thing- she almost ruined all of my careful planning; reassembling the circuit board to the point where I had to start over. I'd have killed her too, but it was not she I had decided to claim as my own, and she returned inside too quickly. I bided my time, waiting for the perfect moment to cut the electrical cords. I took out the boy when he came searching for an extra flashlight, brazen idiot that he was. My plan to infiltrate the house was just about to go underway when who should stumble so willingly into my grasp but the coveted prize I desired ever since the beginning?"

Usagi swallowed bile. "You wanted... me."

"Yes," Enigma crooned, baritone contracting once more with lust. He stroked a finger down Usagi's cheek.

"Why?" she whispered.

"I knew from the moment I saw you that you were the one. So delicate; so angelic... But even from outside the car I saw there was spirit in you; a fierce fire. Oh, how I wanted to watch that fiery spirit crumble; to feel you writhing beneath me as I stole that beautiful innocence and cradled it to my heart, savoring your last breaths like a starving man revels in his first meal after so... long..."

Usagi wanted to retch, to parry his disgusting fantasy with a projectile defilement of her own, but she had neither the wits nor the desire once opportunity was finally- _finally_- spotted.

In all Enigma's impassioned monologuing, he had completely forgotten to keep the knife centered at Usagi's throat. With a loud war cry the blonde struck, launching a fist as hard as she could into Enigma's nose. He howled, two hands swinging up to both protect and attack, but Usagi's reflexes were just as honed and she managed to duck the assault, slipping out of his grip. There was little time to think, only ride the wave of adrenalin as Usagi bolted from the shed without looking back. Her footfalls were unsteady, clumsiness making an inconvenient comeback, but Usagi plowed onward up the incline through a dull sense of reality. Pain lanced through her brain; a throbbing reminder that she had recently been nailed over the head. Usagi forced herself to only focus on what was important- the shed door creaking. Enigma cursing and keeping up the pursuit, perhaps only feet behind her. The cold, heavy metal bouncing on her chest and the slim communicator in her pocket that were the only chances she had at salvation. She had to make a choice; she would only have time to utilize one. Usagi increased her pace, beginning to scream even as she wrenched off the brooch and her hand rose to greet the night sky,

"MOON PRISM-"

The weight of a full grown man tackled Usagi to the damp grass and the wind escaped her lungs with a burning "OOF!"

"Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" Enigma asked through gritted teeth, rolling over and hauling up the dazed fourteen-year-old. It took her a few minutes to reply; to even come back to her senses. By the time that happened, Usagi realized her brooch was still laying somewhere in the dark and she was being dragged toward the far edge of the property; probably into the woods. And the knife was back, ensuring the probability that if she pulled out the communicator, her hand would most likely end up on the ground along with it once Enigma realized the object's purpose. But all of this did nothing to squelch Usagi's spirit, and perhaps Enigma was right... perhaps she did have fire within her. She may have just lost the last bit of deliverance allotted to her, but she sure as hell would not abandon hope.

"Surviving."

"A futile endeavor. Even the angels fall," Enigma proclaimed, but there was the merest hint of some foreign sorrow in his voice and Usagi latched onto that emotion. She could not understand blood lust; she could not understand the monster that was hate... but she empathized with pain.

"You lost someone dear to you," the girl whispered, revelation dawning. "Something very tragic happened to you. Something horrible..."

"Shut up," Enigma snapped, a moody scowl eclipsing his features. Usagi noticed they were almost to the first row of trees, but instead of watching the forest loom closer she gazed up into Enigma's eyes. Behind the mask of stone there was that same aching mixture of loathing and self-anguish; desperation and despondency. And suddenly the strings of Usagi's heart began to tug. How could she truly despise someone so conflicted; so damaged? Pity began to well inside her. If she was going to die tonight, she did not want to die afraid and disparaging. She wanted to die trying to give all the love she had received in life to this poor creature stuck in the hollows of misery.

"You can still be redeemed. Not all is hopeless. Humans have the power to change-"

"SHUT UP! What do you know? How can _possibly_ understand what life has been like for me all these years-"

"I could help you," Usagi interrupted softly, her voice suddenly gentle and inviting. "Do you have friends? I could be your friend-"

"I TOLD YOU TO SHUT UP!" Enigma roared like a wounded animal, throwing Usagi onto the brambled earth. She winced and he was upon her, tearing off the teen's panties with bruise-inducing ferocity. Usagi stared into his twisted features, pleading.

"Please, don't do this... Please, you don't want to do this!" Her breath began coming in shallow gasps as he pushed Usagi's skirt up onto her stomach. "Let me help you..."

"One more word-" Enigma grunted, struggling with his belt, "And this knife impales itself into your thigh."

Usagi pursed her lips, closing her eyes when Enigma bared himself, preparing to take what Usagi had always endeavored to protect for the right man in the right place at the right time. Two tears slipped past the girl's defenses and she felt his hands gripping her legs tightly. Usagi let her head fall back to hit the forest floor, mind retreating as Enigma's torso moved over hers. Somewhere, she could hear birds and feel the caress of sunshine as she waited for the inevitable agony; somewhere, she and her friends were laughing at something trivial and Mamoru was yelling her name frantically-

Wait. Mamoru?

"USAGI!"

Usagi's tear-strewn eyes flew open just as Mamoru exploded into her line of sight, a vision of fury and superhuman strength as his arm flew back and connected with the side of Enigma's head, sending the serial killer flying into a tree with his pants flapping comically open. For a moment Usagi just laid there, too stunned to fix her clothing or wipe her eyes or even remember the communicator still hiding safely in the confines of her pocket. Mamoru only spared her a worried cursory glance before he advanced on Enigma with the stalk of an enraged beast.

"YOU STAY AWAY FROM HER, YOU SICK, TWISTED BASTARD!"

Enigma brandished his knife menacingly as he quickly re-zipped his fly, leaving the belt to dangle. "I should have killed you while I had the chance. The girl belongs to me."

"Like hell." And Mamoru pounced.

* * *

A/N: Wow. Okay. Sorry to leave you all hanging like that but, uh, it's two in the morning and unfortunately I have to work tomorrow. Hopefully the mere fact that I even updated will suffice! We're in for some squee-inducing stuff next chapter, which could- potentially- be the last one. Sniff! It depends on how long I drag out the subsequent aftermath. Scary stuff, huh?

Please review!

**AngelMoon Girl**


	14. Cradle to the Grave

Disclaimer: You know the drill.

Author's Note: *crickets* Um. So. If you all haven't died of extended hyperventilation or some other similar symptom of where-the-hell-were-you-AngelMoon-Girl-and-why-did-you-leave-us-with-such-an-evil-cliffhanger disease, then you'll be pleased to notice I've FINALLY updated! *is uber pumped* I feel sort of stupid though... Had to re-read my own frigging story to familiarize myself... that's how long I've been away XD I do apologize if I'm not quite up to par with my usual standards. This is the first time I've put pen to paper (or... hand to keyboard? Ha) for the fandom in months!

Much thanks are in order for **CharmedSerenity3, AZ, SnowCharms, UsaChan-7, mi-makoto-chan, StarryNight101, tryntee13, Light'by'day, living-the-future, Fiery Dancer, TropicalRemix, mangamania, Ashgeliton, claireylee824, PriestessHelene, Jenbunny, Jessie F. Babi, Sailor Phoenix1997, Laura, SerenityEndymion, SailorMoonLvr, Kristina Ai Malfoy, **and** Xephias. **If it weren't for you guys, I don't know how on earth I would have overcame writer's block. Your reviews have meant more than you can ever know.

**Friday the Thirteenth**

Rated T

Chapter 14: "Cradle to the Grave"

* * *

Usagi observed dazedly as Mamoru threw himself onto Enigma with the most primal growl of fury she'd ever experienced in his presence. The pair collapsed against a tree, Enigma pinned to the bark by Mamoru. His fists began pummeling like lethal weapons even as the deranged killer fought to bring his knife into the equation. The sight seemed to shake the girl back into greater awareness. Usagi slipped her hand into her pocket, fumbling for the panic button on her communicator and praying it hadn't broken in the throes of battle. Then she pushed herself up from the ground onto quivering legs.

"Mamoru-san, watch out!"

She took a few uncertain steps forward, and Mamoru must have heard her, because he cried out,

"Stay back!"

Enigma cast Usagi a triumphantly wolf-like smirk and kicked Mamoru in the knee, hard, forcing the ebony-haired college student away with a scary surge of strength. Mamoru stumbled backward, dodging a vicious swipe at his abdomen only to trip on a stray root. Enigma cackled, raising his arm to strike, but Mamoru took advantage of his imbalance to topple into the man's stomach. They fell onto the forest floor, rolling around in a power struggle for the knife. Usagi observed with terror as Enigma ended up on top, thus gaining the upper hand. He aimed the sharp weapon at his prey's chest and dove in for the kill. Mamoru clutched fiercely at his attacker's wrist, grunting in pain as he tried desperately to stem the downward trajectory. An inch or two more and he would be dead.

Usagi didn't even think. She launched herself at Enigma, yanking at his shoulders; tearing at his clothes. She was small, but she was also loud, and the blonde hoped her infamously inhuman screaming would debilitate Enigma's efforts enough that she could get him off Mamoru. For a long moment, not much registered in Usagi's brain; there was thrashing and white noise and a strange buzzing in her ears. At one point, she was pretty sure Enigma abandoned Mamoru to go for her, but then Mamoru was yelling "No!", the world tossed and reverberated, and other voices joined the fray. Something heavy gripped her and kept the weary fourteen-year-old at bay; Usagi blinked and saw it was an arm that had wrapped around her torso.

The arm connected to Rei.

"We got your distress call. It's okay now," she whispered shakily, face a violent mixture of fear and rage; white and red. "I've got you. It's okay."

Usagi let out a throaty sob; the best response she could muster. Her eyes frantically sought out Mamoru, and it was with relief that the girl saw her Senshi aiding where she herself had failed. Makoto and Mamoru had Enigma in a chokehold while Minako wrestled the knife out of the serial killer's hands. Ami- little Ami- delivered the final blow that knocked Enigma senseless. She glared down at him with unadulterated hate, and belatedly it was stowed into the recesses of Usagi's mind that she should never, ever endeavor not to be in the good graces of her normally mild-mannered comrade of Mercury.

For what seemed an infinite amount of time, nobody breathed. They simply stared, waiting, as if any moment now they should expect Enigma to jump up and slaughter them all. When the seconds ticked by and still nothing happened, Rei instructed Minako up to the house to check on Kotono and phone the police, then Fumara. Ami didn't trust that Enigma would remain out for the count, so she and Makoto hovered in case he began to regain consciousness. Mamoru went straight to Usagi, currently being helped to her feet by the raven-haired priestess.

"Usagi-"

At her name, uttered so seriously and so solicitously by the one person who'd never before shown this much genuine concern for her, the tears Usagi had been holding back erupted. Unable to contain either her exhaustion or her intense gratitude anymore, she crumbled into her unlikely hero's arms. And somehow, despite their tumultuous history, she knew she was finally safe.

oOo

Mamoru was frozen with surprise, but it didn't take him long to adjust to the feeling of Usagi's warm body in his. The eighteen-year-old exhaled sadly, cradling the odangoed blonde close as he regretted each and every horror the innocent teen had been forced to endure tonight. It made him sick to his stomach to remember waking up in the shed, to the sound of Usagi pleading for mercy only yards away; to recall with vivid detail the scene he'd lumbered into and what he had almost been too late to prevent. If he weren't gifted- or was it cursed- with such a strong moral compass, Mamoru knew he would not be able to stop himself from exacting cold-blooded revenge on Enigma. Tsukino Usagi of all people did not deserve to carry this memory with her for the rest of her life, and the man wished with all his being that could spare her the burden. It wasn't fair.

"Usagi... your legs. They're all bruised and purple..." Rei's voice was filled with barely contained fire. Mamoru felt Usagi twitch against him, but she continued to cry softly and did not respond to the question behind the statement. He gazed over Usagi's disheveled hair to find Rei looking ready to spout flames from her fingertips as she stared at torn pink panties laying in the dirt, mentally connecting the dots. "Did he...?"

"Almost," Mamoru answered with equal venom, tightening his hold on Usagi as if he could protect her from the mere thought.

"Oh my God, I'm going to fucking fry the bastard," Rei snarled, and suddenly Usagi came to life. She lunged, hanging off the dark-headed girl's shoulders, babbling about secrets and angels and tragedies, all laced between implorations of "I'm fine"s and "Don't do it"s. Mamoru was pretty certain it was one of the most peculiar displays he'd ever encountered, but then, considering the harrowing ordeal she'd just escaped, it didn't faze the man in the slightest that Usagi was delving into the nonsensical.

Rei took a deep, assuaging breath, probably for Usagi's sake. "I won't. But I'm sorely tempted," she added, and Usagi ceased her rambling with a quick nod. Rei's expression turned gentle. She pulled a tissue out of her pocket and pressed it against Usagi's neck, where a thin line of caked blood remained from what had undoubtedly been a ferocious skirmish. "Here."

Usagi flashed a uniquely Odango Atama smile that warmed the cockles of Mamoru's heart, bringing hope that with time, they would all heal and move on stronger than ever from this experience. It was already amazing, the difference he noticed in the interaction of the two before him. Mamoru used to think that of all Usagi's friends, Rei was the weak link in the chain; the odd man out. She and Usagi were like day and night; oil and water. But the eighteen-year-old supposed he should have realized, their constant bickering was not a sign of animosity. Rather, it disguised a sisterly bond transcending those Usagi shared with every other member of her posse. Rei guarded her friend with a passion few dared to cross, and Mamoru knew the feeling was probably mutual.

The aforementioned priestess gestured beseechingly toward Usagi's skirt. "May I?"

Usagi shrugged, conceding, her issues over decency long forgotten. Rei ducked her head to peek beneath the fabric for any injuries not visible to the naked eye, and Mamoru turned his back to give them privacy. Everything was peaceful, like the calm after a storm. The brilliant moon shone a silvery path up to the large Himo house, where he could just spot Minako's shadow, rocking a small child in one of the higher windows.

Something sparkled in the grass off to the side. Mamoru cocked a brow, leaving the girls briefly to go inspect the mysterious object. He recognized the familiar shape right away as Usagi's missing broach, and the young man scooped it up almost reverently. The tiny piece of jewelry felt remarkably heavy in his palm, and for some reason, holding it stirred up a sense of nostalgia in Mamoru. The princess flitted unbidden across his mind, but Mamoru pushed the dream maiden away with thoughts of Usagi. Off in the distance, he heard the telltale wail of sirens. Never before had anyone appreciated the comforting promise of salvation those sirens provided like Mamoru did tonight.

It was over. It was truly over.

Mamoru clutched Usagi's broach to his heart and silently wept for all that had been lost and all that had been saved.

He knew that when he woke up tomorrow, he would forever be a changed man. And even though that frightened him, Mamoru was glad he had received a second chance.

* * *

A/N: I think that's a good place to stop. I considered going further, but we'll leave that for an epilogue. I'll wrap everything up next chapter, which will definitely be the last. I'm so incredibly grateful you all have stuck with me this long. Just one more, guys :)

**AngelMoon Girl**


	15. A Twisted Impasse

Disclaimer: If you don't know by NOW...

Author's Note: I really need to thank the following people for their glowing reviews! **edwardloverr, bunnie915, dainlord, StarryNight101, TropicalRemix, claireylee824, WinniUsagi, Bin82501, RoboMoon4, CharmedSerenity3, Chantell10, tryntee13, Jenbunny, Ashgeliton, **and** PriestessHelene. **All my love for sticking with me SO long! You are a blessing!

**Friday the Thirteenth**

Rated T

Chapter 15: "A Twisted Impasse"

* * *

Sunday afternoon saw Mamoru ambling the waterside in a secluded section of Juban Park, trying to clear his thoughts with help from Mother Nature. This in itself was nothing new- the college student often found refuge here, in the final hours before his harried juggling act of school and work began anew. What _was_ out of the ordinary, however, was the small, familiar figure taking up residence on Mamoru's usual bench- the one nestled beneath a crooked dogwood. For a moment he just stopped and stared, unsure whether he should approach the pensive girl and break the spell of serenity she seemed to have attained.

Usagi's face was slack and peaceful, eyes shining as they reflected the sun dancing off the undulating surface of the lake. It struck Mamoru that she resembled an ethereal goddess, gazing off into nothing with such a wise disposition about her. He forgot she was a bubbly fourteen-year-old who enjoyed cake a little too much and had a penchant for annoying the hell out of people. Watching Usagi now, the eighteen-year-old only perceived innocence incarnate. It didn't fail to astound him that she seemed so _normal_, so lighthearted, for someone who had just endured a rather frightening ordeal.

He admired her.

Mamoru blinked, allowing himself a few uncertain steps in her direction. Usagi started as she picked up the sound of his footfalls, twisting on the bench to grace the man with a surprised smile.

"Oh, Mamoru-san! Hi. Sit down." The blonde patted the free space beside her. Mamoru quickly complied, sliding into the offered seat with a cordial,

"Thanks, Odango Atama."

"Beautiful day, isn't it?" Usagi seemed to pull it all in with a deep inhale, her brilliant blues sparkling at the simple joy of nice weather.

Mamoru chuckled. "It is," he agreed, amused by her easy delight. They sat in companionable quiescence for a while, until Mamoru asked timidly, "How... how are you?"

Usagi was quiet as she gathered her words. Then-

"I am... happy. But I'm also sad. Does that make sense?"

Mamoru nodded, but Usagi felt the need to explain herself, as if by sharing she could ease the burden that weighed on her heart.

"We're safe. The nightmare's over. But I still... I still can't help thinking about Enigma. About how tragic it is, that he chose to turn his pain into madness; that he convinced himself he could feel human again if he inflicted on others the horrors that had been done to him." Usagi peeked up at Mamoru through her bangs, at his furrowed brow and inquiring expression. She sighed, squeezing her hands that were folded tightly into her lap. "I went to see him, you know. Enigma. Only his real name is Uroi Yuroki."

"Usagi..."

"I couldn't spend my life hating a man when I did not even know his story. It was just something I had to do, because I wanted to understand. I wanted to help him," the girl whispered, and Mamoru swallowed his reprimanding _"What the hell were you thinking?"_ for,

"...Did you?"

Usagi shrugged, smoothing the fabric of her yellow sundress while avoiding his eyes. "I'm not sure Enigma _can_ be helped. Not anymore. That time has past; he's too far gone. I felt like I was talking to a shell. But he- he told me again that I was an angel, and that I was his favorite, even though I couldn't be his. Because- because I had spirit, and I wasn't like the others."

"If he hurt you..." Mamoru let the threat trail off into oblivion, still shocked that Usagi'd had the guts to face her captor... again. After all the terror Enigma caused...

He admired her courage.

Usagi looked kindly at her comrade's protectiveness, but she insisted, "No, no, he was behind bars- much more subdued, too. He told me his name wasn't really Enigma, even though he liked the air of mystery behind the moniker. And then he started rambling, sort of deliriously. About hate. How much he despised his parents for beating him, and his eighth grade teacher for raping him. About death, and the woman with cancer... the only person he ever loved. About the money troubles that followed, and drugs. The voices that tempted him with promises of happiness if he surrendered to their craving for blood, for justice..."

"That must have been horrible."

"It was disturbing, yes, but at the same time.. I feel sorry for him. Perhaps I shouldn't... I don't know." Usagi shook her head with frustration, beginning to gesture wildly with tears glistening in her expressive cobalt eyes. "I just don't think the world is split into black and white! We make good choices and bad choices, but underneath it all... Enigma was only human. A hurting human. Even if I cannot fathom the awful things he's done, I can at least make peace with the knowledge that he now has a _chance_- a chance to one day be redeemed, if he's willing to take it."

Mamoru admired her unfailing hope.

"You're a good person, Usagi." The eighteen-year-old had never been so confident of anything. A more compassionate human being than the one perched beside him, he had never met. The girl with sun-kissed tresses turned to Mamoru, gaze searching out his with a strange sound that was half-sob, half-laugh.

"So are you. You saved my life!"

"What can I say? I'm a gentleman through and through," the ebony-haired college student teased. Usagi snorted, but it was with seriousness infused into her tone that she confessed,

"In all the confusion afterward... I never thanked you for that."

"You don't-"

"Thank you for saving my life," Usagi said sincerely, wrapping Mamoru's hand in hers and giving it a squeeze. Mamoru had a moment to revel in how inexplicably _right_ that felt, their fingers tangled together like matching pieces of the same cosmic puzzle, before the girl withdrew. Her warm smile continued even as she lamented,

"But I have to say... we're pretty abysmal babysitters."

Mamoru laughed. "Yeah, I don't think Fumara-san will be calling on us again anytime soon. Odango Atama, I should have known from the off that a partnership between us was doomed to have the worst luck imaginable!"

Usagi shared in his mirth, albeit a beat late. Mamoru caught the question lurking in the blonde's stormy azure eyes; one that seemed to be eating at her attention. "...Odango?"

"I... I was just... Mamoru-san, what are we? Sometimes you call me Odango Atama... and sometimes Usagi. Are we friends now? Or are we a pair of very different- perhaps _too_ different- people, who can only just barely achieve a civil toleration of each other depending on our moods?"

Mamoru mulled over his words, selecting them carefully. "Our... relationship... is whatever you wish to define it as, I suppose."

He didn't understand why his heart chose now to start thrumming with wild, flip-flopping fervor.

Usagi considered this, long and hard. "I believe I will miss being 'Odango Atama' and the 'Jerk'. There's something comforting in being able to expect our daily argument."

Mamoru stared. He wasn't sure why he felt so let-down, but he did. "You seriously want to remain enemies? Usagi, I won't deny we got off to a fractious start, but Friday night... _severely_ changed my perception of you. I'm not sure I can go back."

"What happened to this being under _my_ terms?" Usagi pouted, but Mamoru realized the girl was just pulling his leg when she grinned. "Of course I want to be friends with you, silly! So long as you'll always be my Mamoru-baka, spawn of Satan and occasional knight-in-shining armor."

Mamoru rolled his midnight blues heavenward. Tsukino Usagi, the world's strangest conundrum. He was intrigued and perplexed in equal measure.

"Truce?" Usagi threw out her hand, and Mamoru shook the appendage with a chortle of affectionate exasperation.

"Truce. But it's the most damn twisted impasse I've ever encountered my whole life. So you _want_ to keep fighting in the middle of street corners, Odango Atama?"

Usagi sent him a blinding beam, hopping up as a stiff breeze ruffled her sundress and toyed with her hair. Mamoru gazed upon the figure of beauty before him, his indigo-hued eyes drowning in her vibrant cerulean. Some combination of intense emotion passed between the pair, a look that contained gratitude; forgiveness; amity. Then Usagi winked, a sly intimation, and the connection broke. She gave Mamoru a wave before skipping away, sweet voice drifting back to the man still reeling from their crazy chemistry and frustrating detente-

"Until next time, Jerk!"

Mamoru found himself eagerly awaiting _next time_.

...Little did he know that their subsequent meeting of chance would occur only three days later, when a certain Dark Kingdom General with a proclivity for backstabbing and summoning fire would trap he and an unsuspecting Tsukino Usagi inside a faulty elevator at the Starlight Tower.

But that, dear readers, is another story for another day.

~Fin~

_(Or you could just ask Minako. But who would _honestly_ be in the mood for a longwinded, mostly embellished account of how the natural-born matchmaker got the ball rolling that fateful Friday the 13th, until destiny stepped in and revealed Usagi and Mamoru for who they really were?__)_

* * *

Author's Note: Well guys... here we are. What a thrill it's been. I've really enjoyed writing this story, hopefully as much as you've all enjoyed reading it! I apologize that there wasn't a more satisfying romantic resolution, but I wanted to keep this as open-ended and within canon as possible. Unfortunately, to do so meant leaving Usagi and Mamoru in a better place than where we first met them, albeit not as the couple everyone craved they become. Real Sailor Moon fans shouldn't fret, however... they'll know right away what is implied by the last few paragraphs :)

Keep in touch! I'll continue updating my other stories so feel free to check them out!

**AngelMoon Girl**


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